HomeMy WebLinkAboutPLANNING MINUTES 2016-02-23 MINUTES OF THE 1,083rd PUBLIC HEARINGS AND REGULAR MEETING
HELD BY THE CITY PLANNING COMMISSION
OF THE CITY OF LIVONIA
On Tuesday, February 23, 2016, the City Planning Commission of the City of
Livonia held its 1,083rd 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: Glen W. Long R. Lee Morrow Carol A. Smiley
Gerald Taylor Ian Wilshaw
Members absent: Peter H. Ventura
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 2016-01-01-02 LIVONIA OFFICE CENTER
Ms. Smiley, Secretary, announced the first item on the agenda, Petition 2016-01-
01-02 submitted by Livonia Office Center pursuant to Section
23.01 of the City of Livonia Zoning Ordinance #543, as
amended, requesting to rezone the property at 28200 Seven
Mile Road, located on the north side of Seven Mile Road
between Inkster and Middlebelt Roads in the Southeast 1/4 of
Section 1, from OS to C-1.
February 23, 2016
27435
Mr. Taormina: This is a request to rezone a single commercially developed
property that is located at the northwest corner of Seven Mile
Road and Lathers. This property is currently zoned OS, Office
Services. The request this evening is to change the zoning to C-
1, Local Business. The property is roughly three-quarters of an
acre in area. It includes 120 feet of frontage along the north side
of Seven Mile Road and 270 feet along Lathers. The site
contains a bi-level office building called "Livonia Office Center."
This building is roughly 10,542 square feet in gross floor area.
The building is rectangular and it is oriented from north to south
with the front of the building facing Lathers. The majority of the
parking is located between the building and Lathers. However,
there is additional parking located on both the north and south
sides of the building. To the north, east and west of the subject
property are residential homes that are zoned RUF, Rural Urban
Farm. To the south across Seven Mile Road are a variety of
commercial properties, as well as residential properties under
the R-1 zoning category. There are no current plans to
redevelop or modify the site. The purpose of the rezoning is to
expand the potential occupancy of the building to include both
office and retail uses. Currently, there are 63 parking spaces on
the premises. General retail uses typically require parking at a
ratio of 1 space for every 150 square feet of useable floor area.
When this standard is applied, it requires a total of 56 spaces.
Therefore the parking is adequate to accommodate general
retail uses. There are other uses that are permitted under the C-
1 category that demand more parking; however, not knowing
what those uses are at this time, it is difficult to say whether or
not the overall parking would be complied with. The Future Land
Use Plan shows this site as Medium Density Residential. In
addition to expanding the range of possible uses, the C-1 district
would allow for greater signage. It would allow signage at a rate
of one square foot of signage for each one lineal foot of building
frontage. It would also allow for an additional ground sign on the
property that would be 40 square feet and 8 feet in height.
Currently, the OS district restricts the amount of signage to only
one group identification sign not to exceed 20 square feet in
area. It is important to note that any change of use to the
category of mercantile may prompt compliance with current
building and other barrier-free code requirements. This could
involve the requirement for an elevator, as well as restroom
upgrades and compliance under the new energy efficiency
codes. With that, Mr. Chairman, I can read out the departmental
correspondence.
Mr. Morrow: Please.
February 23, 2016
27436
Mr. Taormina: There are two items of correspondence. The first item of
correspondence from the Engineering Division, dated January
26, 2016, which reads as follows: "In accordance with your
request, the Engineering Division has reviewed the above
referenced petition. We have no objections to the proposed
rezoning at this time. The included legal description on
submitted petition appears to be correct and should be used in
conjunction with this petition. The existing property is assigned
an address of 28200 Seven Mile Road. The existing building is
currently serviced by public water main, and storm and sanitary
sewers. Should renovations to the building require alterations to
the existing services, drawings will need to be submitted to this
department to determine if permits will be required." The letter
is signed by David W. Lear, P.E., Assistant City Engineer. We
The second item is a letter dated February 22, 2016, which
reads as follows: "I, Adam Stepczynski, am opposed to the
rezoning of the 28200 Seven Mile Road building due to the
added traffic it would create. We already have enough traffic
from the school, park and pool. Crossing the street has become
very difficult because of the increase of business that goes on
day and night." The letter is signed by Adam Stepczynski, who
resides at 28100 Seven Mile Road. That is the extent of the
correspondence.
Mr. Morrow: Are there any questions of the Planning Director? Seeing none,
would the petitioner please come forward? We will need your
name and address for the record.
Michael Powell, 4700 Cornerstone Drive, White Lake, Michigan. Thank you
Chairman. I'm the civil engineer for the owner. I appreciate the
input from Mark and from the letter. I'm representing Mr. Chand
Marwaha who is here. He is the owner of the property, has been
for a number of years. The reason this is before you is because
he has been having a great deal of trouble leasing the space
out, and he is looking to enlarge his clientele. With full capacity
and being able to lease the property with higher rents, he would
be able to afford to be able to upgrade the building a little bit
and have a little better clientele. Currently, the building is leased
out to individual small little tenants just leasing individual office
space inside the building. He is looking for a little larger tenant
and he believes he could get that with the rezoning to C-1, Local
Business instead. That's really the reason he is here because
he has some vacancies that he hasn't been able to fill. So he is
looking for input from the Planning Commission and giving him
some advice. He's here to answer any questions you might
have, and I'm here to answer any technical questions you might
have.
February 23, 2016
27437
Mr. Morrow: Thank you very much. Does the Commission have any
questions?
Mr. Wilshaw: What is the current occupancy of the building as a percentage?
S. Chand Marwaha, 3665 Valley View Lane, West Bloomfield, Michigan 48323.
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, the occupancy right now
is roughly about 60, and people come and go because I cannot
get a better clientele. If I had a commercial zoning, it would help
me to bring a stable clientele. I've been making tax payments,
try to keep up the property. It's kept in fairly good condition.
People like the building but the affordability is the main concern.
With the zoning to C-1, it would give me a little bigger clientele,
which I can bring it in and cover my costs. Sixty percent does
not cover the cost of mortgage, outside maintenance, lighting.
It's very hard to make it happen. I would like the Commission to
help me on this so I can improve the tenant base and try to
make more upgrades like Mike said, and also to cover the cost.
The cost of snow shoveling, salting, overall maintenance, is
extremely high. We do a pretty good job of keeping up the
building. People like coming to us, but the base of the clientele
has changed. I'd like to have it commercial so I can bring more
people and get my occupancy to 100 percent.
Mr. Wilshaw: To continue on that line of questioning, what sort of potential
users are you considering if this was to be zoned commercial?
Can you give us an example of what type of business you would
be looking to locate in there?
Mr. Marwaha: I've owned this building for 24 some years. In the past, it was
easy to bring the accountants, the attorneys and doctors. Now
the doctors and attorneys have bought their own building. So
what I'm getting as clientele is basically sometimes massage
therapists. I'm getting barbers. And that's a service industry but
this is what I can get to fill the vacancy. Of course, under
desperation I've done things which I've shouldn't. I know it is not
the zoning under OS zoning. I can bring the commercial base if
I'm given. I can fill the building and I can pay the taxes,
insurance, and on and on, other expenses. It's very competitive.
It never used to be like this but it's awfully competitive. I think
creating a wider base will help me to bring the building to 100
percent occupancy and I can keep it going.
Mr. Wilshaw: The other question I have for you is that we heard in the
correspondence that there's a potential that if the zoning is
changed to commercial, that may require that you upgrade the
February 23, 2016
27438
facility for barrier-free requirements and some of the other legal
requirements that now exist for commercial buildings. Because
you have a split level building with stairs that go between the
two levels, would you be prepared to make those types of
upgrades in terms of possibly an elevator or ramps and other
things to accommodate barrier free patrons and customers?
Mr. Marwaha: To a point, I think I can do some of the modifications. I have
talked to Detroit Elevator. It's very hard to put an elevator there
and it's very expensive. The price I got was about $60,000 to
$100,000, and that elevator has to be outside. It cannot be
inside because the building is not large enough to
accommodate the elevator inside. So it's going to be very
difficult, but if anybody can do it, I can do it. The cost is one of
the concerns. Also, the feasibility. I don't believe that I could put
an elevator in that building. There's only four steps going down
and four going up. I think most of the people have no problem
with that. In the last 24 years, people have accepted the way it
is. Of course I don't have the elevator. As far as barrier-free is
concerned, I think the bathrooms and other things are pretty
much barrier-free in my opinion.
Mr. Wilshaw: The reason I say that is a person in a wheelchair who may be
going to one of those businesses, four steps is a lot of steps for
them. So you need to be aware of that.
Mr. Marwaha: That is true. The way it has been handled - I have an
accountant who is in my building, a CPA. Mostly there's not
many handicapped people coming. If they do, they meet outside
the building or they can meet in the lobby. But putting in an
elevator will not only be not feasible, but also would be very
expensive and it's not practical. The building is not designed to
put an elevator inside, and outside, I don't know how it's going
to work out. That was the opinion of the Detroit Elevator
Company.
Mr. Wilshaw: Thank you, sir.
Mr. Morrow: Any other questions of the petitioner? Mark, as it relates to the
barrier-free restrooms and elevators, isn't that a requirement
that is handed down to us to incorporate by the State or is this
something that we would have any purview over?
Mr. Taormina: I think in the case of a requirement for an elevator, that appeal
process is with the State barrier-free authority. I'm not sure
exactly what it's called. I don't think that's a local decision that
can be made here in terms of any deviation or variance. There
February 23, 2016
27439
may be certain other requirements that could be considered by
the local construction appeal board, but I don't believe that is
one that they have authority over. I'd have to verify that with our
Inspection Department.
Mr. Morrow: What I was trying to bring out is the fact that these types of
things are beyond our control. They will have to make those
decision on appeal.
Mr. Marwaha: But you have to keep in mind the building is about 40 some
years old. If I try to do something with that building, it's going to
be a real remodeling, especially the elevator. I've tried to get
from Detroit Elevator any way I can get one. Their answer to me
was, not only is it difficult to put in, the space is not there to put
the elevator. If you put it outside, it's not going to be safe. At
night nobody is there watching the elevator. So it's not going to
be very easy, but if that becomes mandatory, then I will
definitely look into this. I'll talk to many other companies. Under
the circumstances, what I've been told, not only it's not feasible,
but it's not cost effective. In answering your question, there are
some handicapped people coming to the building. Yes, they do,
but they are very far and few. The people who are my tenants,
they generally meet them outside or service them out of the
building. But that's once in a blue moon. It's not an on-going
thing.
Mr. Morrow: We're just trying to point out that there's nothing we can do.
We're trying to make you aware of what you'll run into should
this pass.
Mr. Marwaha: I don't know whether it's going to be covered under a
grandfather clause because the building has been so long there,
40 some years. I've owned it for 24 years.
Mr. Morrow: Again, that's something . . .
Mr. Marwaha: Something has to be looked at it, and hopefully the board and
the other people will understand, the age of the building, the
structure of the building, that does not give me opportunity to fix,
which I could not do today versus 40 years ago. The building
wasn't designed for an elevator. It was not designed for all the
handicapped. But we have complied with handicap
requirements as much as we can, but under the circumstances,
an elevator is going to be just about next to impossible. If that
becomes a requirement, it has to be worked out either as a
variance or we have to ask the company how they can design
something. Plus, we would probably need two elevators on both
February 23, 2016
27440
sides of the building. You can't just go through that. That's
another issue I will have.
Mr. Taylor: It's obvious this is an old and tired building. I think actually the
OS zoning is the correct zoning for that area, surrounded by
residential. Maybe the building is just worn out and has to come
down. I don't know. But it's a big gamble to say we'll give you C-
1 and maybe you can put an elevator in, maybe you can't. But I
just cannot support any C-1 zoning. I think the OS zoning is the
correct zoning. That's what it was originally and I just can't
support C-1. Thank you.
Mr. Morrow: Thank you, Mr. Taylor. Are there any other questions of the
petitioner before I go to the audience? Seeing none, is there
anybody in the audience that wishes to speak for or against the
granting of this petition? If you would come up to the podium,
sir. We'll need your name and address for the record.
Gary Williams, 28112 Seven Mile, Livonia, Michigan. Good evening also. I'm
actually about 50 yards outside the building that we're talking
about right now, 28200. It's been a living hell. I'm going to be
real honest with you. I thought the City was letting me down for
a lot of years on my complaints and calls and everything. I
thought the police department was letting me down. I've been
working with Officer Painter in the Intelligence Division. He
couldn't talk to me at the time I guess. For the last year and a
half that building's been under investigation by several law
enforcement agencies. Just a lot of problems, a lot of problems.
We have a school down the street. We have residents in the
area. We have a park down the street within a block. We have
the public pool down there. We have a lot of traffic coming in
and out. I did make some notes here and I'm going to try to stick
to the facts, get done real quickly for you folks.
Mr. Morrow: Yes. If you could hold any comments about your dealings with
the police department.
Mr. Williams: Yes, sir. I apologize. Again, I said my name is Gary Williams.
My wife is Karen Fisher. She also lives at my residence at
28112 Seven Mile. With the schools, the traffic, the park, the
pool, the neighborhood, this guy has no respect for. Okay? He
talks about everybody likes the building. I have to call on a
weekly basis to get the trash bin emptied. There's been many,
many violations regarding that, rats and rodents and things in
that nature if you will. People in and out all day and all night.
He's right. The type of clientele that's coming and going there,
very, very undesirable. We can't even sit in our backyard
February 23, 2016
27441
anymore. We applied for a fence variance so we could at least
have a little privacy if you will. We got turned town. It was a
neighbor's choice and I agreed with it. It's fine. It's a hair and
nail place on the north end that is so busy, and I'm talking seven
days a week. I was hoping even Sundays I could get out and
clean my yard without people coming and going and whatever.
And now there's one on the south end on the bottom. It just
seems like it gets worse and worse and worse, and all these
other businesses that burrow in next to it. It's been bad. It's
been very bad. I think this gentleman may mean well. Maybe
he's not managing it correctly. Maybe he's having somebody
else manage it. I don't know, but what is happening there, it's
not good for the neighborhood. And I want to go on record. I will
fight this in court with this gentleman, which I planned on
anyway. I'm against it. And that's where I'm going to leave it, I
guess. There's no point going into the law enforcements, the
post master general and all this other stuff, and the deportation
of a guy that was leasing from you. I don't know if you knew that
either.
Mr. Morrow: Please talk to the Commission. Just so you're clear, what we're
considering tonight is commercial zoning. We really have no
control over what is currently.
Mr. Williams: I hear you and I appreciate that. What are my rights when he is
in violation on the zoning that he's in now when he continues to
keep violating? What are our rights?
Mr. Morrow: I'm not sure, other than the inspection.
Mr. Williams: It's like it's become a full time job and taking a lot of my time,
and it's been stressing me out for five years. I pay my taxes on
time. It's getting to a point where I'm out walking. They had a 24
hour massage unit in there where people show up at 6:00 in the
morning. So I get out there and I chase them away because I
know there's a school there waiting for the girls to show up or
whatever. They just had two showers put in the basement over
there last year. And the only reason I know that is, the guy that
was putting them in. I said, well, what do you charge to do
work? What are you doing over here, blah, blah, blah. Well,
we're putting two showers in over there. What do you need two
showers in an office for?
Mr. Morrow: I'm sure if you work with City Hall, there's probably . . . .
Mr. Williams: I have. And it's getting to the point, like I told the Mayor's Office,
he has a legal responsibility as an elected official not to turn a
February 23, 2016
27442
blind eye to that corner of the city. It's not the only problem that I
have here, but it's the only problem that I'm going to deal with
today. But I am very, very against this, and I'm going to fight this
to the State. I've already called Lansing. I've made several
complaints to them. I thought maybe possibly that . . . and you
don't want to think this. You don't want to think somebody's
being paid off. You don't want to think the police are just turning
their eyes.
Mr. Morrow: Let's not get into that.
Mr. Williams: Yes, sir. And I apologize again but what are you going to do? I
live there.
Mr. Morrow: We understand that, but I think, based on your comments,
you're not in favor of the rezoning.
Mr. Williams: No, no, no. And I did take a Valium before I got here. I'm not
very good at this.
Mr. Morrow: You mentioned you met with the Mayor. I don't know if it is the
new Mayor.
Mr. Williams: It has been both Mayors to be honest with you. It's been so
long.
Mr. Morrow: Then just pursue that through the City.
Mr. Williams: Well, I'm going to pursue a lawsuit and I'm going to tell you right
to your face.
Mr. Morrow: No, you just talk to the Commission.
Mr. Williams: The problem is, it's in my face every day over there where I
have to . . . I'm ex-military myself. I did nine years in service.
Every one of my family members and I have to go out here and
police my neighborhood because of the issues that we've had
with this building over there. It's getting to a boiling point.
Mr. Morrow: All your comments are part of the record.
Mr. Williams: Thank you, sir, and I apologize for upsetting you.
Mr. Morrow: I'm not upset. I'm just trying to confine what we're really talking
about.
Mr. Williams: That's where I'm at.
February 23, 2016
27443
Mr. Morrow: So it's part of the record now.
Mr. Williams: Yes. I oppose it.
Mr. Morrow: I think we got that.
Mr. Williams: Thank you, sir. Thank you for hearing me.
Mr. Morrow: Is there anyone else in the audience that wishes to speak for or
against the granting of this petition? Before I close the public
hearing on this, does the petitioner have any comments to
make, and keep it strictly to the zoning and to the Commission.
Mr. Powell: Yes, the owner has asked me to ask the Planning Commission
to table this. He has to evaluate what the Planning Commission
has discussed. He'd like to work with Mark on some planning
issues. He'd like to evaluate what he's heard from the public
tonight. Therefore, I think that he has learned a lot about his
building. He appreciates the candor and he'd like this tabled
tonight by the Planning Commission.
Mr. Morrow: Could you restate the reason for the tabling concisely?
Mr. Powell: Tabling is to be able to rethink the advantage or disadvantages
of the requested rezoning, and he will then make a decision
whether to pursue it or withdraw the request with Mark and the
Planning Department.
Mr. Morrow: We'll see if there's anyone on the Commission that's
sympathetic to your request. This is a public hearing. Can you
come up with a date certain should it be tabled?
Mr. Powell: It could be tabled or postponed until the very next meeting, and
it would either be decided to withdraw the request or to continue
with the meeting next month.
Mr. Morrow: Mark, what would that be should the tabling go through?
Mr. Taormina: If it's going on the next meeting, I believe that's March 15.
Mr. Morrow: The next regular meeting?
Mr. Taormina: Yes, that's correct.
Mr. Morrow: Because the public hearing has already been established.
February 23, 2016
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Mr. Taormina: Yes. March 15 would be the next available date.
Mr. Powell: And that would be fine with us.
Mr. Morrow: We'll see what the direction is from the Commission.
Mr. Taylor: Mr. Chairman, I'll make a denying resolution
On a motion by Taylor, seconded by Wilshaw, and unanimously adopted, it was
#02-12-2016 RESOLVED, that pursuant to a Public Hearing having been
held by the City Planning Commission on February 23, 2016, on
Petition 2016-01-01-02 submitted by Livonia Office Center
pursuant to Section 23.01 of the City of Livonia Zoning
Ordinance #543, as amended, requesting to rezone the property
at 28200 Seven Mile Road, located on the north side of Seven
Mile Road between Inkster and Middlebelt Roads in the
Southeast 1/4 of Section 1, from OS to C-1, the Planning
Commission does hereby recommend to the City Council that
Petition 2016-01-01-02 be denied for the following reasons:
1. That the proposed change of zoning is contrary to the
Future Land Use Plan which designates the subject
property as "Medium Density Residential;"
2. That the proposed change of zoning is incompatible to the
adjacent residential uses to the north, east and west of the
subject property; and
3. That the building on the subject property was uniquely
designed and intended for office purposes.
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 a denying
resolution. That will afford you the opportunity to rethink what
you want to do. When you have another public hearing with the
City Council, you'll be in a better position to speak to them as to
what your plans are going forward. They will make the ultimate
decision. This is just a recommendation.
February 23, 2016
27445
ITEM #2 PETITION 2016-01-02-01 WASHINGTON PARK
Ms. Smiley, Secretary, announced the next item on the agenda, Petition 2016-
01-02-01 submitted by Kucyk, Soave & Fernandes, P.L.L.C.
requesting special waiver use approval pursuant to Section
20.02A of the City of Livonia Zoning Ordinance #543, as
amended, to develop a Planned Residential Development
(Washington Park) under the Single Family Clustering option on
properties at 9449, 9447, 9445, 9443, 9441 and 9439 Hix Road
(former Washington Elementary School site), located on the
southwest corner of Hix and Ann Arbor Roads in the Southwest
1/4 of Section 31.
Mr. Taormina: This request is the next step in the review of Washington Park,
which is a detached cluster housing development and
condominium subdivision located on the site of the former
Washington Elementary School at the southwest corner of Hix
and Ann Arbor Roads. The subject property consists of six
contiguous parcels that are currently owned by Livonia Public
Schools. Together, these parcels comprise a total developable
land area of roughly 12.5 acres. The rezoning of the property is
being considered under a separate petition. On September 22,
2015, the Planning Commission held a Public Hearing and
forwarded an approving recommendation to the City Council for
a change of zoning from the current PL, Public Lands,
designation to R-1, One Family Residential. The City Council
then held its Public Hearing on October 26, 2015 and gave First
Reading to the rezoning on November 16, 2015. Adoption of an
ordinance that would officially amend the zoning map is on hold
pending the Planning Commission's review and
recommendation on the waiver use and site plan. Washington
Park Site Condominium is being proposed as a single family
cluster pursuant to Section 20.02A of the Zoning Ordinance.
Clustering is a development alternative that provides flexible
design standards to encourage more efficient use of land as a
means of preserving additional open space and providing single
family development on sites that would otherwise be difficult to
develop. This option allows either attached or detached single-
family dwellings, and in the case of Washington Park, the
petitioner is proposing all detached home sites, very similar to a
conventional subdivision. The only difference is that the lot sizes
are smaller, both in width and area. While clustering does allow
for smaller lots and greater design flexibility, the overall density
cannot exceed what would normally be allowed under
conventional design standards. So in an R-1 district, the
maximum allowable density would be four dwelling units per
February 23, 2016
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acre. When you translate that over the 12.5 acres of
developable land, the maximum yield would be 50 homes. The
plan that we're looking at this evening includes a total of 45
homes. Under the conventional design standards, the minimum
lot size would be 60 feet by 120 feet or 7,200 square feet per
home site. Under the proposed clustering option, there is no
minimum lot size requirement. Most of the lots shown on the
plan measure between 50 feet to 52 feet in width, are 115 feet
to 130 feet in depth, and result in lot sizes ranging from 5,980
square feet to 6,659 square feet. The plan shows the design of
the proposed subdivision. Whenever a single family cluster
abuts an existing single family residential district, buffering is
required by means of one of the following methods. The
petitioner would have to provide open space immediately
abutting the single family district, or provide significant
topographic features, landscaping or a combination,
immediately adjacent to the single family district. For this
project, the plan shows buffering in the form of landscaping. At
the rear of each proposed lot that borders an existing home, the
plan shows three evergreen trees. Access to the new home
sites would be from Hix Road only. The plan shows two new
streets identified as Liberty Drive and Independence Drive that
are spaced about 275 feet apart and run in an east to west
direction for a distance of roughly 400 feet. Both streets
intersect with a street called Liberty Court that extends for a
distance of approximately 900 feet in a north to south direction
terminating at the south end of the property in the form of a cul-
de-sac. At the north end of the development, the plan shows a
common open space that extends across the site's entire
frontage along Ann Arbor Road, which is a distance of roughly
565 feet. This general common element is about 150 feet in
depth and includes two features: First is an open space park
area that is about 0.75 acres in size and is located at the east
end next to Hix Road. Adjacent to that is a storm water
detention basin. As far as setbacks, in the R-1 district, the
minimum spacing between unattached dwellings is 10 feet. The
minimum front yard abutting a public street is 25 feet. The
building envelopes as shown on the preliminary site plan for all
45 lots conform to these minimum yard requirements.
Stormwater detention for the development would be in the form
of two separate basins of approximately the same size.
Because of the uniqueness of this site, drainage must be
provided both at the north end of the property as well as the
south end of the property. Serving the north part of the
development is a basin along Ann Arbor Road. At the south
end, a similarly designed basin is proposed along the west
property line between Units 31 and 32. Both of these basins
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27447
would be about 6 feet to 8 feet in depth measured from the top
of the slope to the bottom of the basin. They would include a
permanent pool of water of approximately 4 feet in depth and
they would be maintained with 1 on 6 side slopes for both
maintenance and to avoid the need for fencing. Landscaping is
shown along both the Ann Arbor Road and Hix Road street
frontages. In addition to the trees that would be planted at the
rear of the homes, the plan shows landscaping along the major
road frontages. This includes a variety of deciduous and
coniferous full size trees, including white spruce and white pine.
A total of 57 Norway spruce trees would be planted along the
outer edges of the proposed development in order to screen the
cluster home sites from the abutting existing residential
properties. As previously indicated, the plan shows an average
of about three evergreen trees per lot. Note that many of the
abutting single family homes on the west side of the
development contain rear yard detached garages. The plan
purposely avoids planting trees directly behind the garages.
You'll notice how the trees have been arranged at the rear of
the proposed lots, which are on the right hand side of the
drawing, in relationship to the existing homes that are on the left
hand or west side with the common lot line shown between
those. The trees will be planted in that landscape belt between
the properties, and then there are some gaps between those
trees, but those correspond more or less to the location of the
garages on the adjacent properties. The petitioner has also
provided a copy of the Master Deed and Bylaws for your
consideration. I'll just go over a couple of the main items dealing
with the building and use restrictions. As is typical for these new
developments, we require at least 65 percent of the structures
to be either brick or stone for two stories homes and 80 percent
for ranches. The minimum square footages would be 1,300
square feet for a one story home and 1,500 square feet for a
multi-story home. The petitioner has also provided details on the
landscaping as well as typical elevation and floor plans for the
homes that they intend to develop on the property. I'll let the
petitioner describe those in greater detail. With that, Mr.
Chairman, I can read out the departmental correspondence.
Mr. Morrow: Just one question, Mark. Was there something about a
walkway?
Mr. Taormina: Yes. You will recall in our discussion during the rezoning that a
walkway runs at an angle between the adjacent subdivision and
where the school was previously located. Where the sidewalk
exists on the school property, it would be relocated as part of
this development. The walkway already exists within the
February 23, 2016
27448
adjacent subdivision in a small right-of-way area that was
dedicated as part of the subdivision plat. What the petitioner
intends to do is connect the sidewalk and extend it due north to
Ann Arbor Road, where it would then tie into the existing
sidewalk along Ann Arbor Road. So the sidewalk would be
retained. It would just be redirected. Instead of going at an angle
across the property, it would go due north where it would
connect to the existing sidewalk on Ann Arbor Road.
Mr. Morrow: Okay. Thank you. Is there any correspondence?
Mr. Taormina: There are four items of correspondence. The first item is from
the Engineering Division, dated January 26, 2016, which reads
as follows: "In accordance with your request, the Engineering
Division has reviewed the above referenced petition. We have
no objections to the proposed development at this time. The
included legal description on submitted petition appears to be
correct and should be used in conjunction with this petition. The
existing properties are assigned the addresses of 9449, 9447,
9445, 9443, 9441 and 9439 Hix Road. We have been in contact
with the owner and engineer for the proposed project, and they
are aware of our standards and requirements for any future
utilities. The submitted drawings do indicate a general proposed
layout for the future utilities, but do not show any calculations so
we are unable to determine if the sizing will be appropriate, or if
there will be negative impacts to the existing systems. We will
provide comments for these systems once we have a chance to
review the full engineering drawing submittal. We would like to
mention that it appears that the proposed water main exceed
the limits for dead-end mains and will need to be revised to
meet the current standards. Also, it may be advisable to have a
landscaping buffer between the proposed park and detention
basin on the north end of the site."The letter is signed by David
W. Lear, P.E., Assistant City Engineer. The second letter is from
the Livonia Fire & Rescue Division, dated February 1, 2016,
which reads as follows: "This office has reviewed the site plan
submitted in connection with a request to develop a Planned
Residential Development under the Single Family Clustering
Option (Washington Park) on the above referenced addressed.
We have no objections to this proposal with the following
stipulation: Minimum diameter of cul-de-sac shall be at least 110
feet." The letter is signed by Keith Bo, Senior Fire Inspector.
The third letter is from the Division of Police, dated January 28,
2016, which reads as follows: "I have reviewed the plans in
connection with the petitions. I have no objections to the
proposals. I recommend that a stop sign be required at each
exit onto Hix Road, one for traffic on Liberty Drive, and one for
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27449
traffic on Independence Drive. I also recommend a yield sign be
required on westbound Independence Drive at Liberty Court."
The letter is signed by Brian Leigh, Sergeant, Traffic Bureau.
The fourth letter is from the Inspection Department, dated
February 18, 2016, which reads as follows: "Pursuant to your
request, the above-referenced petition has been reviewed. This
Department has no 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 Has there been an increase in the landscape from the original
plan that we saw?
Mr. Taormina: We've seen various iterations. From the time of the rezoning,
absolutely. From last Tuesday, no, there has not been a
change.
Ms. Smiley: We talked about additional landscaping and there hasn't been
any?
Mr. Taormina: We did talk at the study meeting about additional landscaping
around the detention basin. While the landscape plan does not
reflect any additional landscaping in those areas, we have
included it within the prepared resolution.
Ms. Smiley: Good. Thank you.
Mr. Taylor: Mark, through the County, is it necessary that they have two
detention ponds?
Mr. Taormina: It's necessary that they detain the stormwater in accordance
with the County regulations, and the only way to do that is to
split the site into two drainage districts. When we met very early
on this project, we looked at various options for how stormwater
could be handled. Through their engineering review of the site,
they determined that it was impossible to meet the County
regulations unless they provided a basin at each end of the
property due to the topography.
Mr. Taylor: Thank you.
Mr. Long: There was talk last Tuesday when we met about some way of
making the water move in the detention ponds. Is that part of
this as well in order to control for mosquitoes or other pests?
February 23, 2016
27450
Mr. Taormina: We did include some language to that effect in the prepared
resolution. I had this discussion with the petitioner. I am being
told that because of the very permeable soil conditions on this
property, that they don't anticipate much standing water in these
detention basins. There's a chance that the water will drain
through the sandy subsoils and, as a result, may make it difficult
to have any kind of water aeration system or fountain. But that is
something that we included in the resolution to the extent that it
is feasible to do that.
Mr. Long: Thank you.
Mr. Morrow: Anyone else? Is the petitioner here this evening? We will need
your name and address for the record please.
Enrico Soave, Kucyk, Soave & Fernandes, P.L.L.C., 37771 Seven Mile Road,
Livonia, Michigan 48152. Good evening, everyone. I'm
representing the petitioner tonight. I'd like to take the opportunity
to thank Mark Taormina, his staff and the department heads in
this project. I know we had a handful of revisions with this, but I
think we got it right. We think it's a great development. I'm
testing my memory over time. I think this project has the optimal
and the most amount of open space, green space and
landscaping that we ever instilled in a project. We think it is a
benefit to Livonia, 45 new lots coming, and we do think it's going
to be a benefit to the area as well.
Mr. Morrow: Thank you. Any questions of Mr. Soave?
Mr. Wilshaw: I noticed on one of the plans there is indication that some of the
landscaping or the grass is going to be seeded. Is that just for
some of the edges, or is that the entire parcel that's going to be
done in seed?
Mr. Soave: The seed alone looks to be the portion of the right-of-way, the
area between the sidewalk and the curb, but usually that's sod.
Mr. Wilshaw: The lots themselves would be sodded?
Mr. Soave: Correct.
Mr. Wilshaw: One thing that we looked at when we looked at the landscaping
that you're adding around the perimeter of the property, one
thing we deal with sometimes with these condominiums and
other developments is, we have this stuff installed for a reason.
We have berms and other features that are purposely put in
there, and then 10, 20 years down the road when the
February 23, 2016
27451
Association is fully running themselves, they seem to have
memory block or forget that these things were required. The
next thing you know, landscaping disappears, berms disappear,
fences disappear and so on. So would you have any objection
to incorporating into the actual Master Deed and Bylaws that the
landscaping as provided needs to be permanently maintained
by the Association as approved by us or as you had originally
installed it so that we don't have a problem 10 years down the
road with a different association or turnover of people who
forget that?
Mr. Soave: We have no objection to that. I'm not sure if Mark mentioned it,
but we did go above and beyond addressing those exact
concerns during a couple of our strategy sessions. There's a 12
foot landscaping easement that goes around the perimeter of
the property that will be recorded as part of the condominium
which prevents any of the homeowners from actually building
anything in that easement area and also from tearing down any
existing landscaping that shall be there.
Mr. Wilshaw: I see. Okay. There was a little bit of concern over the separation
between the park area that you are providing for near the
entrance and the retention basin itself. It looks like there's a few
large trees there. Would it be difficult to add some additional
arborvitaes just to create some sort of a barrier there so that a
kid playing would be less tempted to cross over?
Mr. Soave: That seems to be a reasonable request, an evergreen screen
wall between the two.
Mr. Wilshaw: Yeah. Just a small one.
Mr. Soave: It's a reasonable request. I have no objection to that.
Mr. Wilshaw: The playground structure that you're proposing to put into that
space, is this going to be a structure that is owned and
maintained by the Association?
Mr. Soave: Correct. We're attempting to utilize the existing play structure on
the land as it sits, but that's something that is going to be
explored further once it is disassembled and reassembled. That
will be an obligation by the condominium association for that
maintenance.
Mr. Wilshaw: Okay. And then they will also carry insurance that would insure
the Association in case there was ever an injury or something.
February 23, 2016
27452
Mr. Soave: The Association, especially this is a pretty decent size
community, will have to carry general liability insurance and
maintain that. It's always problematic when the associations,
they're set up properly and then homeowners go in there and
think they're saving money by not paying their premiums, and
then when they go to sell or refinance their house, and the
lenders ask them for evidence of liability insurance and they
don't have it. It's pretty difficult to refinance your home when
there's no insurance on the common areas. So most definitely.
Mr. Wilshaw: Will the Association be just maintaining the common area or are
they also maintaining the roads?
Mr. Soave: It is a proposed public road. The condominium Association will
be responsible for the ponds, landscaping in the common areas
and also for the open space in the park area.
Mr. Wilshaw: Do you have a sense of what the dues for that association
would probably be?
Mr. Soave: It's hard to tell right now. Usually on the onsite with the inception
of selling homes for the first time from a developer to the builder
to the actual third party end user, there is an estimation for the
capitalization fees and start-up costs, and then after it's turned
over to the Association, they set their initial budget.
Mr. Wilshaw: I see. Okay. The homes themselves, you said that there's . . . at
least we have in our packet a couple potential designs in it that
look like colonials. Are you going to have a mix of both colonials
and ranches?
Mr. Soave: A definite mix. Ranch, first floor masters, colonials. It would be
similar models that we just wrapped up a subdivision, Livonia
Manor 2, on Seven Mile and Merriman. There was Richfield
Estates that was also wrapped up last year, and for the spring of
this year, we have Arbor Trail Estates which the Planning
Commission approved last year which is already a model up
there now. It would be very similar in size and scope.
Mr. Wilshaw: Have you found that there's a demand for ranches or certainly
first floor masters, I would think, even with a colonial, but what
are you seeing the demand for in your housing stock?
Mr. Soave: All different areas of the spectrum. We have people retiring that
want ranches. We have single people that want ranches, and
also a lot of families, like in my instance with an infant at home
or you have kids in high school, they want colonials and cape
February 23, 2016
27453
cods, especially first floor masters are popular with middle age
people that have adolescent children. They get their own room
in the first floor and all the children are upstairs. So it's across
the board. We're already getting phone calls on this
development.
Mr. Wilshaw: Excellent. Very good. Thank you.
Mr. Morrow: Just a little follow-up to that. Could you give us about what
you're planning as far as brick and percentages of the homes?
Mr. Soave: The exterior features will be the same that the Planning
commission and Council has approved in the past, similar,
same models that we've done for Livonia Manor and Richfield
Estates and Arbor Trail Estates. Eighty percent brick for
ranches, 65 percent brick minimum for cape cods, colonials.
Very tasteful elevations.
Mr. Morrow: I just wanted that on the record from you. Any other questions of
the petitioner before I go to the audience? Is there anybody in
the audience that wishes to speak for or against the granting of
this petition? Please give us your name and address for the
record.
Kim Balhorn, 9339 Patton, Livonia, Michigan 48150. I was here a few months
ago when you were here. So I want to say in regards to the
planning, first of all, I want to thank you for listening to us
because since this first conception of selling the Washington
land, we didn't feel like we were being listened to especially by
the School Board. So I want to thank you and I also want to
thank the developer for thinking of us and putting us into
consideration. I do have a few questions in regards to this and
I'd just like to get some clarity. These homes that you have
here, they're not going to be any HUD homes or state homes or
anything else where you're going to use this just for residential
only?
Mr. Soave: Single family residences.
Ms. Smiley: You have to address the Commission.
Ms. Balhorn: I'm sorry. My question is, if there is going to be any of the . . .
and I'm not exactly sure what they're called, but the houses that
the State owns where you're going to have maybe low income
come in. So that's what I'm looking for is to make sure it's just
going to be bought straight out. It's not going to be State homes
or anything like that.
February 23, 2016
27454
Mr. Morrow: I don't think it is anticipated, but this Commission couldn't give
you any sort of a definite answer. Perhaps I'll call the petitioner
back to see if he wants to respond to that in any way.
Ms. Balhorn: Okay.
Mr. Morrow: But we do know it will be single family residential privately
financed.
Ms. Balhorn: Okay. The second thing is, around the ponds there that are by
Ann Arbor Road, is there like fencing or something like that or is
that open?
Mr. Morrow: Speak to the Commission.
Ms. Balhorn: I'm sorry. Is there fencing around there or is that open?
Mr. Morrow: It will be landscaped.
Ms. Balhorn: There will be just landscape. Okay. The park, is that open to just
that Association or the whole neighborhood?
Mr. Morrow: We'll have the petitioner respond to that.
Ms. Balhorn: Okay. So I need to know that. The structure also. Now I
understand from what the petitioner said that there was a play
structure that's existing there, which is one play structure. So
that's all they're planning on doing. They're not planning on
doing any swings or any other structures. If the structure that's
currently there, if that is not being able to be transported there,
what do they plan on doing in the play area? What do they plan
on putting in there? That's what I would like to know. The timing
of this ... the other question is, there is a lot of building of
houses around in that vicinity. You have not only on Newburgh
Road there, just south of Joy, but you also have new
construction right on Ann Arbor Road and Newburgh, right on
the corner right by Churchill and Ann Arbor Trail. And then
there's also more down the street on Ann Arbor Trail. My
question is, although this looks very nice, what is it that's going
to be attracting people to these houses to make sure that we fill
them and it's not going to go empty lots for a long time? I guess
that's my thing. Is there a chance that they're going to start
building then all of sudden nothing happens and it just stays that
way, mud or whatever, for a long time. I guess that's my
concern.
February 23, 2016
27455
Mr. Morrow: The petitioner indicated that they are even now receiving
interest in the homes. They've done a number of subdivisions
and individual houses in the City. They have a very fine track
record. During the down turn, they were about the only ones
able to survive without too much of a problem. I don't even know
if the petitioner can tell you how long it would take to fill out the
sub, but if he wants to respond to that, he may. A lot of
guarantees we can't give you tonight. Only the fact that they will
be quality homes and his subdivisions tend to fill up very
quickly.
Ms. Balhorn: I guess that's it for right now, but for the petitioner, if he could
just ask if it's going to be open to everyone around there.
Mr. Morrow: We'll have him respond to that. You're opening remarks were
very kind, and the Planning Commission would like to take most
of the credit for that, but the developer was there and things you
saw tonight is what he heard. Outside of tweaking some of the
things and consulting on some of the finer points with the City,
that's the type of builder you're dealing with.
Ms. Balhorn: This is my first go around with dealing with that. I felt very
passionate because this is for my kids. So I appreciate that and
I appreciate the builder. You know, not only does it say in
regards to your building of your facilities, but also to listening to
the neighborhoods that you represent. So nowadays with
regards to politics and everything, people like to be heard. So I
thank you for that.
Mr. Morrow: We appreciate your comments. It's part of the record. Anyone
else wishing to speak?
Jeffrey Nolte, 9386 Knolson, Livonia, Michigan 48150. In regards to the north and
south detention ponds, I know when my original well point was
installed, water was only 12 feet deep, is where we hit water. So
my concern is that, how they were saying that the water would
drain if the detention ponds are only 8 to 10 feet, we hit water at
12. So that would be my concern that there possibly could be
standing water in those ponds with the mosquito attraction. My
other one is, my house and my neighbor's house are on both
sides of the sidewalk. My question is, we're retaining the
sidewalk. Nobody has ever maintained it. Nobody has ever
plowed it, cleared it, besides us. I know the sidewalk that is at
the school is no longer there, so it just dead ends at our fence.
But that would be a concern, who is going to clear it in the
winter or if it will even be cleared. If the sidewalk is going to be
installed, can we move it to the south side of the detention pond
February 23, 2016
27456
so that way any kids that come through that want to go to the
park are not having to go up to Ann Arbor Road and walk on the
side of the road because that's only a foot or two off the road
and there's no barrier between them and Ann Arbor Road. So if
there's just anyway we can move that sidewalk just to the south
side because most of the kids, to be honest with you, if they're
going to the park, they're going to cut through whatever property
or they're going to be cutting through the south side of that pond
anyways. They're not going to be going up to Ann Arbor Road.
So those are my comments, and like Kim said, I just thank you
guys so much for listening to us and giving us the opportunity to
speak.
Mr. Morrow: Thank you very much.
Mark Jones, 9394 Knolson, Livonia, Michigan 48150. I have one question. Are
these going to be residential homes, single family homes?
Mr. Morrow: Yes, sir.
Mr. Jones. Consideration being that these homes have been here and
we've maintained them and paying taxes on them. What I would
like to see, the homes backing up to my property is ranches. If
they're going to put in ranches and colonials, the colonials
facing Hix Road have no effect, but you can imagine if you have
a backyard and all of sudden you wake up and open your
curtains and there's people in the second floor looking down at
you. If you're going to have ranches and colonials and tri-levels,
all I'm saying is when they build it, and I've been through subs
where all of a sudden there's 40 ranches and then all of a
sudden there's 40 colonials. So we're not asking for nothing
that's outrageous. If you're going to put 12 homes here that
back up to Knolson, could they be ranches because that's what
is on Knolson, is ranches. It's only fair to take that into
consideration because we were there first. I pay taxes. My
house is worth a lot of money and it's going to affect the price of
my house when I go to sell it and people say, well, who are
them people way up there looking at us.
Mr. Morrow: You'd be surprised how often we hear that very concern. I'm not
sure that we have the power to dictate what goes in there. It will
be up to the developer.
Mr. Jones: I'm just asking if he could consider that. Take a look at it and
see if . . . I don't know. It would be to the builder's disadvantage
if he's selling homes. We offer colonials, tri-levels and ranches.
They're all different prices. Ranches are the most expensive. I
February 23, 2016
27457
mean, I don't know how that would affect him to say we're going
to put our ranches on Hix Road and colonials backing up to
Knolson. I don't see the disadvantage or advantage to him. It's
going to cost the same amount of money to build out, but it
would affect us, is my point.
Mr. Morrow: We understand. He's already demonstrated he's a good
listener. That's as far as we can go.
Mr. Jones: All right. I'd appreciate it if he would consider that. Thank you.
Mr. Morrow: Anyone else? I appreciate your comments. They are all part of
the public record. Would the petitioner like to respond to any or
all of that?
Mr. Soave: A little further input in regard to the commentary on the park. It
is our goal to offer that to Parks & Recreation to be a public
park. If they do accept it, we want it to be a public park not
having to be maintained by the condominium association, and it
will be higher dues to our residents. The first step is to try to
make it a public park, and if not, it will be the condominium
association's, but I can't stand up here today and say
everyone's welcomed or it's restricted to the residents only.
That's something that the condominium association will
ultimately have to make that decision once they take it over.
We're only there for a short time. The people that buy houses in
there are there for many years thereafter.
Mr. Morrow: But you are working with Parks & Recreation?
Mr. Soave: Correct. I did tell Mark that we're going to offer this as a public
park and see how they respond.
Mr. Morrow: I appreciate that.
Mr. Soave: To reiterate, this is a single family residence like any other
community we've done that the City of Livonia has approved,
and we're open to sell to anybody.
Mr. Morrow: I don't want the neighbors to think that those ponds are for
holding water. They are only there to restrict the runoff. As the
petitioner and the Planning Director indicated, that should
manage most of the water and that it would not accumulate
there unless we had a 100 year rain or something, but it's all
being looked at by Engineering.
Mr. Soave: They are shallow ponds.
February 23, 2016
27458
Mr. Morrow: And they fall within the purview of not requiring a fence.
Mr. Soave: Correct.
Mr. Wilshaw: Just a follow up question, Mr. Soave. What do you anticipate the
price range of the houses in this development to be?
Mr. Soave: In the low 200's starting out at.
Mr. Wilshaw: Low 200's. Okay. I think it's safe to assume that based on your
track record that you've had in the city, you're interest is, if
you're going to make the investment in this property, to make
the investment in building out these lots, you want to sell them
as quickly as you can to capture your profit from the sale of
those homes, right?
Mr. Soave: Absolutely.
Mr. Wilshaw: So it's definitely in your interest to price those homes at a fair
market price that are going to attract buyers and sell them as
quick as you can because you're tying up a lot of your resources
and funds until those lots are completely sold. Is that correct?
Mr. Soave: Absolutely. Just evidence in fact, Livonia Manor 2 that was
developed over last winter, 2015. The roads were in in May and
21 houses to date are built. All but one is left with vacant land.
So that went quick. Less than a year.
Mr. Wilshaw: Clearly, there's been a huge demand for new development,
even what little is left in the city is being built out. It seems to be
a very desirable community, and I think, frankly, to have 45
news homes in this area, I know there was discussion at our
prior meeting about the school district and how things are going
for them in this area and the enrollment within the schools. But
to add an additional 45 homes to this area, potentially with new
families and young kids, can only help better enrollment and in
the schools for this area. I certainly don't see it hindering in any
way. I appreciate you listening to the residents and trying to
accommodate their request as much as possible. Thank you.
Mr. Soave: You're welcome. We think there will be a lot of positive energy
there. Forty-five new homes in Livonia we think is a big deal.
There is still a big demand for people, families to move into
Livonia, and I think that's a credit to Livonia Public Schools and
the leaders who run Livonia. So thank you.
February 23, 2016
27459
Ms. Smiley: I have a question about the play area. If you can't move the
structure, what are you going to do?
Mr. Soave: At this time, we're looking at different options. Maybe a couple
soccer nets, some benches. First, we're going to try to relocate
the play structure and then go from there. Our main focus is if
this should go through here and through City Council is to get
moving soon. That's job one.
Ms. Smiley: And you're timing on that would be that you're . . .
Mr. Soave: Timing on this would be, if everything goes according to plan,
the infrastructure, roads, and houses will be starting in late fall.
Ms. Smiley: Did you hear the question about the sidewalk? Is that where it's
going, where that gentleman suggested?
Mr. Soave: The sidewalk where it is represented on the site plan is the
optimal place to put it. There's an easement there for it and it
circles around the development rather than right through the
development. As you can see, we took the neighbor's concerns
to heart. By the same token, we can't compromise the
development by doing things that are unorthodox. Forty five
home sites, the cost of land, there are big dollars in certain
things, like that could be a big impact, especially for future home
buyers there.
Ms. Smiley: Everyone is always curious about these mosquitoes. If they had
standing water, you could do something to it, but the plan right
now is you don't think there's going to be enough water standing
there.
Mr. Soave: Correct. Those aerators, most people think they are little
fountains but they are actually aerators. Those have to be
submerged a minimum depth or else the pumps burn out and
they become non-functional. Unfortunately, Wayne County
wants these open face detention ponds to actually accumulate
four feet of water below the inlet for the discharge of storm. We
don't agree with that, but a lot of things Wayne County does in
relation to storm we don't agree with. So that's one thing. They
require it and Livonia adopted Wayne County's requirements for
storm water so we're stuck with it. As you can see, we don't
want two ponds either and the big expense of having two
detention ponds but as you can see, it's part of the plan.
Ms. Smiley: And to just repeat, you plan a mixture of ranches and two story
homes.
February 23, 2016
27460
Mr. Soave: Correct. It goes on market demand. Usually, there are about 25
percent ranches in any development we have regardless of how
many homes are in there, about 25 percent. A lot of demand for
ranches in Livonia.
Ms. Smiley: Okay. Thank you.
Mr. Morrow: If there are no other questions, I will close the public hearing
and ask for a motion.
On a motion by Long, seconded by Taylor, and unanimously adopted, it was
#02-13-2016 RESOLVED, that pursuant to a Public Hearing having been
held by the City Planning Commission on February 23, 2016, on
Petition 2016-01-02-01 submitted by Kucyk, Soave &
Fernandes, P.L.L.C. requesting special waiver use approval
pursuant to Sections 20.01 and 20.02A of the City of Livonia
Zoning Ordinance #543, as amended, to develop a Planned
Residential Development (Washington Park) under the Single
Family Clustering option on properties at 9449, 9447, 9445,
9443, 9441 and 9439 Hix Road (former Washington Elementary
School site), located on the southwest corner of Hix and Ann
Arbor Roads in the Southwest 1/4 of Section 31, which property
is currently zoned PL and is in the process of being rezoned to
R-1, the Planning Commission does hereby recommend to the
City Council that Petition 2016-01-02-01 be approved subject to
the following conditions:
1. That the Site Plan marked Sheet 1 dated January 18,
2016, as revised, prepared by Arpee/Donnan, Inc., is
hereby approved and shall be adhered to;
2. That a playscape shall be installed, and if it is decided the
existing structure is not useable, one of comparable size
shall be installed or a revised plan shall be brought back to
the Planning Commission for their review and approval;
3. That Lots 1 through 45 as shown on the approved site plan
shall be co-owners of the condominium association and
shall be subject to compliance under the Master Deed and
Condominium Bylaws of Washington Park Condominium;
4. That the Landscape Plan marked LP-1 dated January 18,
2016, as revised, prepared by Nagy Devlin Land Design, is
hereby approved and shall be adhered to, except that
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27461
additional landscaping shall be provided around both storm
water detention basins;
5. That all disturbed lawn areas shall be sodded in lieu of
hydroseeding, except that the detention basins may be
hydroseeded with an appropriate wetland seed mixture;
6. That the Master Deed and Condominium Bylaws shall
incorporate language satisfactory to the City regarding the
use and maintenance of all general and limited common
elements, including the open space park area, landscaping
(including all rear yard trees), and the storm water
detention basins;
7. That streetlights and sidewalks shall be installed
throughout the development to the satisfaction of the
Engineering Division;
8. In the event of a conflict between the provisions set forth in
the Master Deed and Condominium Bylaws and the
requirements set forth in the City of Livonia Zoning
Ordinance No. 543, as amended, the Zoning Ordinance
requirements shall prevail and the petitioner shall comply
with the Zoning Ordinance requirements;
9. That the petitioner shall include language in the Master
Deed and Condominium Bylaws or a separate recordable
instrument wherein the condominium association shall
reimburse the City of Livonia for any maintenance or repair
costs incurred for the storm water detention/retention and
outlet facilities, and giving the City of Livonia the right to
impose liens on each lot owner's property pro rata and
place said charges on their real estate tax bills in the event
said charges are not paid by the condominium association
(or each lot owner) within thirty (30) days of billing for the
City of Livonia;
10. That the final recorded copy of the Master Deed and
Condominium Bylaws shall comply with the requirements
of the Subdivision Control Ordinance, Title 16, Chapter
16.04-16.40 of the Livonia Code of Ordinances, and Article
XX, Section 20.01-20.06 of Zoning Ordinance #543, and
that all building and use restrictions shall incorporate the
following requirements:
- That the first floor of each condominium unit shall be
brick or stone, on all four (4) sides;
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27462
- That the total amount of brick or stone on each two-
story unit shall not be less than 65% and not less than
80% on one-story dwellings;
- That all exterior chimneys shall be brick; and
-. That the brick used in the construction of each unit shall
be full face four inch (4") brick;
11. That the developer shall install aerators and/or fountains in
the storm water detention basins unless it is determined by
the Engineering Division to be unfeasible or impractical;
12. That only a conforming entrance marker is approved with
this petition, and any additional signage shall be separately
submitted for review and approval by the Zoning Board of
Appeals;
13. That the petitioner shall secure the necessary storm water
management permits from Wayne County, the City of
Livonia, and/or the State of Michigan;
14. That the Developer and Condominium Association shall
implement an effective and ongoing mosquito control
program as approved by the Department of Public Works.
The program shall be included in the Master Deed and
Condominium Bylaws and shall describe maintenance
operations and larvicide applications;
15. That the Site Plan referenced in this approving resolution
shall be submitted to the Inspection Department at the time
the building permits are applied for;
16. That all required cash deposits, certified checks,
irrevocable bank letters of credit and/or surety bonds which
shall be established by the City Engineer pursuant to
Article XVIII of Ordinance No. 543, Section 18.66 of the
ordinance, shall be deposited with the City prior to the
issuance of engineering permits for this site condominium
development; and,
17. 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
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27463
approval shall be null and void at the expiration of said
period.
This approval is granted on the basis that allowing the
development of the condominium subdivision under the Single
Family Clustering option provides a more efficient use of the
land to better address the site's natural bifurcated drainage
boundaries resulting in the need to construct two (2) storm
water detention basins, and the addition of a useable open
space play 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. Taormina: There was a reference earlier to the use of sod throughout the
development. The only exception we would allow to that would
be areas within the detention basins. Oftentimes we create a
naturalized landscape along the lowest parts of the basins,
which are seeded sometimes, but everything else that's
disturbed on the site should be replaced with sod in lieu of
hydroseeding. I would like to add that condition.
Mr. Morrow: We'll ask the maker of the motion.
Mr. Long: Sure. Would we . . .
Mr. Taormina: I would incorporate that language.
Mr. Long: I would allow for that to be added.
Mr. Morrow: And the supporter.
Mr. Taylor: Fine.
Mr. Taormina: I guess the only other issue is the play structure. Since the play
structure is shown on the plan, we would view that as a required
element of the site plan. The petitioner indicated this evening
that if the relocation of the structure doesn't work out, he's not
sure what he's going to do. So I would submit that it is a
requirement because it is shown on the plan, unless you want to
provide certain language in tonight's resolution that would allow
some flexibility in the design of the open space area or require
him to come back should the plan change and a play structure
not be provided within the open space park area. But as far as I
February 23, 2016
27464
view it, the play structure as shown is a required element of the
site plan and must be constructed.
Mr. Morrow: Now would that still hold up if the City were to take the park?
Mr. Taormina: No. The City would then decide how to utilize that open space.
That would be under the circumstance that this would remain as
an association obligation.
Mr. Morrow: I'm sorry, ma'am, but the public hearing is closed. We have to
wrap it up.
Ms. Balhorn: Okay, I understand. I just want to make sure that you know this
has been going on for a year and a half.
Mr. Morrow: We understand that.
Ms. Balhorn: And that park was a big thing.
Mr. Morrow: We understand that. Now, where were we? He said that once
he dismantled it and it was satisfactory, they would re-install it.
Mr. Taormina: Correct.
Mr. Morrow: I guess the question is, if it's not satisfactory, is it his intent to
put a new one there or do we delete it from the site plan and let
him figure out what type of playground structure he wants to put
in.
Mr. Taormina: I would think, at a minimum, should the structure not be suitable
and they want to replace it with some other form of
improvement, it would have to come back for your
consideration.
Mr. Morrow: Why don't we do that? Should the Parks & Recreation
Department decline on taking over the park, the petitioner would
come back and meet with the Commission relative to what his
plans are in the play area.
Mr. Long: If the existing play scape does not work.
Mr. Morrow: I think his intent is to use it, but if he can't . . .
Mr. Long: If that worked, he would not have to come back here. So yes, I
would be willing to amend my resolution to incorporate that.
Mr. Taylor: That's fine.
February 23, 2016
27465
Mr. Morrow: Mr. Taormina, have we nailed it?
Mr. Taormina: I think so.
Mr. Wilshaw: I was just going to throw in one more thing since we're making
changes. If it's okay with the maker of the motion, we could
incorporate some sort of language as part of the Master Deed
and bylaws that they would incorporate a mosquito control
program if there is going to be standing water in the ponds.
think we've done this in the past, Mr. Taormina.
Mr. Taormina: Yes, we have and we have the language that we can add to the
resolution.
Mr. Long: Would that be best included in #4 or#9?
Mr. Taormina: We would actually provide that as a separate item.
Mr. Wilshaw: If the maker would consider that.
Mr. Taylor: Usually the County takes care of that, but that's okay.
Mr. Long: The maker of the motion would consider that.
Mr. Morrow: I think we have it. I want to thank Mr. Long for volunteering for
the reading of that. It is much appreciated and it should be
acknowledged. Please call the roll.
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, as well as
the members of the neighborhood.
ITEM #3 PETITION 2015-12-03-02 SCHOOLCRAFT COLLEGE
Ms. Smiley, Secretary, announced the next item on the agenda, Petition 2015-
12-03-02 submitted by Schoolcraft College, pursuant to Council
Resolution #41-15 and Section 12.08 of the Livonia Code of
Ordinances of the City of Livonia, as amended, to determine
whether or not to vacate the existing sanitary sewer, storm
water and water main easements at 39201 Seven Mile Road,
located on the southeast corner of Seven Mile and Haggerty
Roads in the Northwest 1/4 of Section 7.
February 23, 2016
27466
Mr. Taormina: This petition is to vacate certain utility easements, and it has
been submitted by Schoolcraft College at the request of the
City's Engineering Division. It is an offshoot from the recent
acquisition of what is now the Jeffress Center and the
completion of numerous site and building improvements to that
property. This is located right at the southeast corner of Seven
Mile and Haggerty Roads. The zoning of the property is PL,
Public Lands. The size of the land is about 9.4 acres. The
easements in question include sanitary, storm and water
service. The subject utilities serve only the college now and no
other entities or properties. Thus, it is no longer required to be
under public domain. Upon approval of the ordinances that
would vacate these utilities, Schoolcraft College would assume
full ownership and maintenance obligations of the utilities. With
that, Mr. Chairman, I can read out the departmental
correspondence.
Mr. Morrow: Please.
Mr. Taormina: There are two items of correspondence. The first item is from
the Engineering Division, dated February 18, 2016, which reads
as follows: "In accordance with your request, the Engineering
Division has reviewed the above referenced petition. We have
no objections to the proposed easement vacations at this time.
The included legal descriptions that were included with the
petition appears to be correct and should be used in conjunction
with this petition. The property is assigned an address of
#39201 Seven Mile Road. It should be noted that the private
utility companies should be contacted to determine whether they
may have facilities located within the existing easements. If
private utilities are to remain in their existing locations, the
owner may need to provide new private easements to the
affected utility company."The letter is signed by David W. Lear,
P.E., Assistant City Engineer. The second letter is from DTE
Energy, dated February 19, 2015, which reads as follows: "In
response to your letter dated January 21, 2016, this is to inform
you that the DTE Electric Company presently has no facilities in
the public utilities easement, documented as Grant of
Easement, recorded in Liber 20874, Pages 560 through 561.
See attached sketch provided by the City of Livonia indicating
the area of the public utilities easement. The metes and bounds
legal description is described in the Grant of Easement. As this
is not a DTE Electric Company easement agreement, we do not
have the authority to vacate this easement. Thank you for your
assistance in this matter." The letter is signed by Susan M.
Campian, Right-of-Way Facilitator, Western Wayne Service
Center. That is the extent of the correspondence.
February 23, 2016
27467
Mr. Morrow: Are there any questions of the Planning Director? Is there any
type of presentation, other than what we've heard so far?
Mr. Taormina: John Wright from Schoolcraft College is here this evening and
he can answer any questions you might have relative to this
petition. It's pretty much a housekeeping matter, again at the
request of our Engineering Division.
Mr. Morrow: Thank you. Yes, sir.
John Wright, Executive Director of Facilities Management, Schoolcraft College,
18600 Haggerty Road. Livonia, Michigan 48152. Good evening.
As was stated, Schoolcraft purchased this property several
years ago. What really prompted this vacation is the southeast
entrance to the building became a main entrance for us. When
we purchased the building, there was about a seven foot
elevation change between the finished floor and the height of
the parking lot asphalt. We wanted it to be ADA accessible, and
we wanted it to do without it appearing to be ADA accessible.
That meant we had to come 110 feet out from the building to
make a sidewalk area where the incline would be such to accept
all ADA. In doing that, the water main runs very close to the
building. That meant it would have been about 14 feet below
grade by the time we got done with our changes and alterations.
The water line was probably from about 1980, and we were not
real comfortable in leaving an older line and putting it at that
depth. The means to try to repair it would have been one big
hole. So we moved it out from the building, and at that time, that
changed what the easement was going to be. We were told that
really the preference would be, it is now Schoolcraft College
property. It only serves Schoolcraft College and so we should
abandon the easement, and we would assume the responsibility
and care for those utilities. And so we've accepted to do that.
Mr. Morrow: Thank you very much. Are there any questions of Mr. Wright?
You did a very fine job explaining what it is. 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 unanimously adopted, it was
#02-14-2016 RESOLVED, that pursuant to a Public Hearing having been
held by the City Planning Commission on February 23, 2016, on
Petition 2015-12-03-02 submitted by Schoolcraft College,
pursuant to Council Resolution #41-15 and Section 12.08 of the
February 23, 2016
27468
Livonia Code of Ordinances of the City of Livonia, as amended,
to determine whether or not to vacate the existing sanitary
sewer, storm water and water main easements at 39201 Seven
Mile Road, located on the southeast corner of Seven Mile and
Haggerty Roads in the Northwest 1/4 of Section 7, the Planning
Commission does hereby recommend to the City Council that
Petition 2015-12-03-02 be approved for the following reasons:
1. That the subject utilities are no longer needed for public
purposes;
2. That it is understood by the property owner that
maintenance of the subject utilities will no longer be the
responsibility of the City; and
3. That no reporting City department or public utility has
objected to the proposed vacating.
FURTHER RESOLVED, that notice of the above hearing was
given in accordance with the provisions of Section 12.08.030 of
the Livonia Code of Ordinances, as amended.
Mr. Morrow: Is there any discussion?
Mr. Taylor: Mr. Chairman, just one comment to the gentleman from
Schoolcraft. You really did a nice job on the Conway Jeffress
building. Cutting down those trees really showed off the
building, and it looks much nicer than it did many years ago. So
congratulations on that. 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.
ITEM #4 PETITION 2016-01-06-01 LANGUAGE AMENDMENT
C-2 DISTRICT REGULATIONS
Ms. Smiley, Secretary, announced the next item on the agenda, Petition 2016-
01-06-01 submitted by the City Planning Commission, on its
own motion, pursuant to Section 23.01(b) of the Livonia Zoning
Ordinance #543, as amended, to determine whether or not to
amend Article XI, C-2 District Regulations, of the City of Livonia
Zoning Ordinance No. 543, as amended, to allow indoor,
climate-controlled self-storage facilities as a waiver use under
Section 11.03.
February 23, 2016
27469
Mr. Taormina: This proposed language amendment stems from a recent
rezoning petition involving the former Cloverlanes Bowl property
on Schoolcraft Road. It was on January 26, 2016, that the
Planning Commission rejected a request from Michigan
Property Group, potential buyers of that property, for a change
of zoning from C-2, General Business, to M-1, Light
Manufacturing, in order to enable the construction of an indoor,
climate controlled self-storage facility. As an alternative to the
rezoning, the Planning Commission, on its own motion,
determined to hold a public hearing on whether a better
approach would be to simply allow climate-controlled self-
storage facilities in the C-2 District. Currently, warehouses in
any form are permitted only in industrial districts. The proposed
language amendment would allow climate controlled self-
storage buildings in C-2 districts, subject to waiver use approval.
By treating the use as a waiver, the City is afforded maximum
control over the design and location of such facilities. The
proposed draft amendment was prepared by staff with input
from the Planning Commission, and includes several special
land use conditions that must be met in order to obtain final
approval. Typically, indoor, climate-controlled self-storage
buildings are multiple stories in height. In the C-2 district, the
maximum building height is two stories. Key aspects of the
ordinance include the following. (1) That the building must be
constructed of maintenance-free materials, such as brick and
stone, and designed to be architecturally compatible to other
commercial buildings in the area. (2) Customer access to the
storage units would be limited to the interior of the building in
order to eliminate or reduce the number of exterior overhead
doors. This would in turn reduce possible disturbances to
neighbors as well as make the building appear more like an
office building. (3) Only one storage building would be allowed
per site. (4) The hours of operation would be limited to 7:00 a.m.
to 9:00 p.m. for the storage building. (5) And the storage units
would be for storage purposes only. I know it sounds redundant
but no business, hobbies, recreation activities, manufacturing,
assembly, etc., would be allowed to be conducted within the
storage units, and no storage units could contain any hazardous
or dangerous materials. With that, Mr. Chairman, I'd be happy to
answer any questions. We do not have any departmental
correspondence on this item, but it has been reviewed by our
Law Department and our Inspection Department.
Mr. Morrow: Any questions of the Director? 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.
February 23, 2016
27470
On a motion by Long, seconded by Wilshaw, and unanimously adopted, it was
#02-15-2016 RESOLVED, that pursuant to a Public Hearing having been
held by the City Planning Commission on February 23, 2016, on
Petition 2016-01-06-01 submitted by the City Planning
Commission, on its own motion, pursuant to Section 23.01(b) of
the Livonia Zoning Ordinance #543, as amended, to determine
whether or not to amend Article XI, C-2 District Regulations, of
the City of Livonia Zoning Ordinance No. 543, as amended, to
allow indoor, climate-controlled self-storage facilities as a waiver
use under Section 11.03, the Planning Commission does
hereby recommend to the City Council that Petition 2016-01-06-
01 be approved for the following reasons:
1. That the proposed language amendment would allow
indoor, climate controlled self-storage facilities in a more
appropriate zoning classification;
2. That the proposed language amendment would afford the
City maximum control over the design and location of such
facilities; and
3. That the proposed language amendment is in the best
interests of the City and its residents.
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.
ITEM #5 PETITION 2015-12-02-27 VALUE CENTER MARKET
Ms. Smiley, Secretary, announced the next item on the agenda, Petition 2015-
12-02-27 submitted by Value Center Market requesting waiver
use approval pursuant to Section 11.03(r) of the City of Livonia
Zoning Ordinance #543, as amended, to utilize an SDD liquor
license (sale of packaged spirits over 21% alcohol) in
connection with the grocery store at 27428 Six Mile Road,
located on the north side of Six Mile Road between Inkster
Road and Dolores Drive in the Southeast 1/4 of Section 12.
February 23, 2016
27471
Mr. Wilshaw: Just as a point of order, I'm going to make a motion to remove
this item from the table.
On a motion by Wilshaw, seconded by Long, and unanimously adopted, it was
#02-16-2016 RESOLVED, that pursuant to a Public Hearing having been
held by the City Planning Commission on January 26, 2016, on
Petition 2015-12-02-27 submitted by Value Center Market
requesting waiver use approval pursuant to Section 11.03(r) of
the City of Livonia Zoning Ordinance #543, as amended, to
utilize an SDD liquor license (sale of packaged spirits over 21%
alcohol) in connection with the grocery store at 27428 Six Mile
Road, located on the north side of Six Mile Road between
Inkster Road and Dolores Drive in the Southeast 1/4 of Section
12, which property is zoned C-2, the Planning Commission does
hereby remove this item from the table.
Mr. Morrow, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing
resolution adopted.
Mr. Morrow: This item has already had its public hearing. It was tabled to this
date because the petitioner wanted to have his attorney present.
I'm going to see if Mr. Taormina has any remarks.
Mr. Taormina: I'll just recap briefly what it is we're considering tonight. This is a
request to utilize an SDD liquor license at the Value Center
Market located at the northwest corner of Six Mile and Inkster
Roads. The market currently utilizes an SDM license. SDM
stands for Specially Designated Merchants license which allows
for the sale of packaged beer and wine products for
consumption off the premises. The SDD license is a Specially
Designated Distributor license and would allow for the sale of
packaged spirits for consumption off the premises. This is
typically treated as a quota license. The City is restricted to a
certain number of these licenses. This is our first request that
would involve the intra-county transfer of a license, meaning
that it would come from outside of the community. This is
something that the State allowed a couple years ago, and it is
subject to City approval under waiver use provisions. It would
introduce an additional license above the current quotas of
licenses in the community. We heard concern expressed
regarding the proximity of this proposed license to an
establishment directly across the street called Belly Busters.
They carry an SDD license and, in fact, the distance between
the two buildings is less than what the ordinance requires. It
requires a separation of at least 1,000 feet between any existing
SDD licensed establishment and any establishment proposed to
February 23, 2016
27472
carry a new license. In this particular case, the separation
between these two buildings is roughly 480 feet, so it is within
that separation requirement. That special requirement would
have to be waived by a two-thirds majority of vote of the City
Council in order for this to pass. Other special requirements in
terms of how the products are displayed and the proximity to
any church or school buildings, this petition meets those
requirements, but it does not meet the separation from an
existing SDD license. That's where we're at and with that I'll
answer any questions you may have.
Mr. Morrow: If there are no questions, I'll go to the petitioner. Is the petitioner
not here tonight?
Mr. Taormina: We tabled this to a date certain, did we not?
Mr. Morrow: That was double checked as a matter of fact.
Ms. Smiley: And they were notified?
Mr. Morrow: In that case, I know the owner is here and his representative
from the Belly Busters establishment. We heard last week all
the reasons why they were not comfortable with the petition. As
a matter of fact, they objected very strongly. I will allow a recap.
Colleen Pobur, Pobur Consulting, LLC, 240 North Harvey, Plymouth, Michigan
48170. Good evening, Mr. Chairman and panel. I am a
consultant representing David Arafat who is the owner of Belly
Busters. If you want me to recap everything we said last time,
I'm glad to do it. If it's not necessary, I don't think it's necessary,
but Mr. Arafat has also been letting his customers know what's
going on and he's collected some signatures on a petition. I'd
just like to share that with you if that's okay.
Mr. Morrow: That would be fine.
Ms. Pobur: He has signatures from over 30 people. I'll give one to you.
Mr. Morrow: We will enter that into the record. We do have all of your
comments as part of the public hearing.
Ms. Pobur: Yes. Unless you want me to recap, I don't see the need.
Mr. Morrow: No.
Ms. Pobur: And I have some copies of that petition if you all would like
those.
February 23, 2016
27473
Mr. Morrow: I think I said we would remember everything you said.
Ms. Pobur: You're magnificent.
Ms. Smiley: There is also correspondence from a Donald Kleinknecht.
Should we add that into the record?
Mr. Taormina: I apologize. Yes, we should most definitely read that into the
record. This is an email correspondence from Donald
Kleinknect, dated Thursday, February 18, 2016, as it reads as
follows: "Will the City be running the little guy, Belly Busters
Liquor and Pizza, out of business by allowing a third business to
sell liquor in this immediate area? A perfect example would be
Fitness 19. They have reduced their joining fee from $19.00 to a
measly $1.00 since the Planet Fitness's new location was
approved. IMO Fitness 19 will soon go out of business leaving
another store front vacant."Thank you.
Mr. Morrow: I'll ask for a motion.
Mr. Wilshaw: In lieu of the petitioner not being here and having no additional
information, I'm going to offer a denying resolution.
On a motion by Wilshaw, seconded by Smiley, and unanimously adopted, it was
#02-17-2016 RESOLVED, that pursuant to a Public Hearing having been
held by the City Planning Commission on January 26, 2016, and
February 23, 2016, on Petition 2015-12-02-27 submitted by
Value Center Market requesting waiver use approval pursuant
to Section 11.03(r) of the City of Livonia Zoning Ordinance
#543, as amended, to utilize an SDD liquor license (sale of
packaged spirits over 21% alcohol) in connection with the
grocery store at 27428 Six Mile Road, located on the north side
of Six Mile Road between Inkster Road and Dolores Drive in the
Southeast 1/4 of Section 12, which property is zoned C-2, the
Planning Commission does hereby deny Petition 2015-12-02-27
for the following reasons:
1. That the petitioner has failed to affirmatively show that the
proposed use is in compliance with all of the general
waiver use standards and requirements as set forth in
Section 19.06 of the Zoning Ordinance #543;
2. That this part of the City is currently well served with SDD
licensed establishments selling packaged alcoholic
beverages;
February 23, 2016
27474
3. That there is no demonstrated need for an additional SDD
license in this area of the City;
4. That the proposal is contrary to the goals and objectives of
the Zoning Ordinance which, among other things, are
intended to insure suitability and appropriateness of uses;
and
5. That the proposal is in conflict with the spirit and intent of
the Zoning Ordinance to promote and encourage a
balanced and appropriate mix of uses and not to
oversaturate an area with similar uses.
Mr. Morrow, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing
resolution adopted. I'm going to ask that the petitioner be
informed he has 10 days in which to appeal our decision to the
City Council in writing. It was unfortunate he wasn't here, but we
weren't going to do it three times.
ITEM #6 MOTION TO HOLD A LANGUAGE AMENDMENT
PUBLIC HEARING P DISTRICT REGULATIONS
Ms. Smiley, Secretary, announced the next item on the agenda, a motion to hold
a public hearing pursuant to Section 23.01(b) of the Livonia
Zoning Ordinance #543, as amended, to determine whether or
not to amend Article XIII by removing Section 13.03(d) of the P
District Regulations.
Mr. Morrow: We need a motion.
On a motion by Taylor, seconded by Smiley, and unanimously approved, it was
#02-18-2016 RESOLVED, that the City Planning Commission, on its own
motion, pursuant to Section 23.01(b) of Ordinance #543, the
Zoning Ordinance of the City of Livonia, as amended, does
hereby establish and order that a public hearing be held to
determine whether or not to amend Article XIII by removing
Section 13.03(d) of the P District Regulations.
FURTHER RESOLVED, that notice of such hearing shall be
given in accordance with the provisions of Article XXIII of
Ordinance #543, the Zoning Ordinance of the City of
Livonia, as amended, and that thereafter there shall be a
report and recommendation submitted to the City Council.
February 23, 2016
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Mr. Morrow, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing
resolution adopted.
ITEM #7 APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1,082"d Public Hearings and
Regular Meeting
Ms. Smiley, Secretary, announced the next item on the agenda, Approval of the
Minutes of the 1,082nd Public Hearings and Regular Meeting
held on January 26, 2016.
On a motion by Smiley, seconded by Long, and unanimously adopted, it was
#02-19-2016 RESOLVED, that the Minutes of 1,082nd Public Hearings and
Regular Meeting held by the Planning Commission on January
26, 2016, are hereby approved.
A roll call vote on the foregoing resolution resulted in the following:
AYES: Long, Smiley, Wilshaw, Taylor, Morrow
NAYS: None
ABSENT: Ventura
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 1,083rd Public
Hearings and Regular Meeting held on February 23, 2016, was adjourned at 8:50
p.m.
CITY PLANNING CO ISSION
Cleo/a
Carol A. Smiley, :ecretary 4
. l
ATTEST: • 0 .
R. Lee M.mow, C irman