HomeMy WebLinkAboutPLANNING MINUTES 2016-03-15 MINUTES OF THE 1,084TH PUBLIC HEARINGS AND REGULAR MEETING
HELD BY THE CITY PLANNING COMMISSION
OF THE CITY OF LIVONIA
On Tuesday, March 15, 2016, the City Planning Commission of the City of
Livonia held its 1,084th 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 Long R. Lee Morrow Gerald Taylor
Peter Ventura Ian Wilshaw
Members absent: Carol Smiley
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.
Mr. Morrow: We have in the house tonight two former Mayors and one
present Mayor - Mayor Wright, Mayor Kirksey and Mayor
Engebretson. Mr. Mayor, do you have anything you want to say
at this time?
Mayor Wright: We understand you're going to retire.
Mr. Morrow: Not until tomorrow.
Mayor Wright: So you'll be able to get through this evening, then?
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Mr. Morrow: I'm going to try. I have to be on my toes because of all the
experience in the audience. If I get confused, you guys are to
blame.
Mayor Wright: I'm sitting with a tough bunch. We'll talk at the end.
Mr. Morrow: Welcome gentleman. Mayor Kirksey, did you want to say
something at this time?
Mayor Kirksey: I did if it is appropriate.
Mr. Morrow: It's my last shot. I can do anything I want.
Mayor Kirksey: Remember, I'm Mayor Emeritus. I have zero power. I didn't
know if this was the appropriate time, but not only as people
who have served with you and the City that we love and the City
that's so important to us, we also are very close friends of yours
and we've been very close in all that's happened to see what
kinds of things that you've done that have really made the City
better. I know that Dennis and Jack want to say words, but I just
want to offer mine now to you and congratulate you for what
you've done. You've got to have a great feeling that when you
walk away, you've done something very important for the quality
of life in the City. So I just wanted to tell you that, sir.
Mr. Morrow: I'm very honored that you took the time tonight. I really
appreciate it.
Mayor Kirksey: Thank you.
Mayor Engebretson: Mr. Chairman, as you know I've never seen a microphone I
didn't like. Mr. Chairman, I want to just take a moment to pause
on behalf of a grateful city. Thank you for your decades of
service to the community, not only as a Planning Commissioner
and Chairman of the Planning Commission, but in many other
civic roles that you've played. I don't think a lot of people
understand the importance of this body. The Planning
Commission paves the way for the City Council to make
informed decisions on matters that impact this community in a
big way, whether it's a zoning issue, a site plan, a waiver use,
an ordinance change or a Master Plan, the text and the map. It's
a complicated job. It takes a lot of dedication and work to do this
job. I first became acquainted with Mr. Morrow 30 years ago
when I came here as a community activist with a very personal
interest in a particular matter that was going on in the city that I
thought needed some opposition. I'm happy to tell you that Lee
Morrow stood strong in the face of significant pressure to move
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this matter forward to the City Council, and they did, but they
moved it forward with a denying resolution. Of course, Mr.
Taylor was on the City Council at that time, and they accepted
the Planning Commission's recommendation and ultimately,
after the threats of suits and some may even have been filed,
then Mayor Bennett, working with the staff and the Council and
the Planning Commission, managed to work out a compromise
solution with the developer. In doing so, they saved that
developer his skin because if he had proceeded with the
development that he was proposing, it would have been a
catastrophic failure for sure based on what was going on at that
time in 1998, 1999. Conversely, hundreds of homes were built
in that area under discussion and some commercial property,
including Providence Hospital, the bank, and so on and the
Dearborn Federal Credit Union. And it worked out to the
developer's benefit as well as the city's. A tremendous tax base
was constructed there. I ran into that developer on numerous
occasions over the years in various capacities, and never once
did he say thank you for the city having saved him, which I
thought was kind of interesting because he benefited greatly.
But the City Council and the City Planning Commission don't
always agree on things, but as I look back at the time when I
served on the City Planning Commission and later on the City
Council, the difference that would sometimes result in a denying
resolution here, getting a City Council resolution somewhere
down the road, involved a lot of dialog in between that the City
Planning Commission's concerns would be addressed. The
Mayor's fast track team that was implemented by Mayor Kirksey
would permit time for all the different parties to resolve their
differences. So by the time something that had been denied by
the Planning Commission got to the City Council, it got approval
because the concerns were all addressed. I just want to say in
closing that Livonia has had 10 mayors over the course of its 66
year history. Lee Morrow has served under six of them starting
with Mayor McNamara, Mayor Bob McCann, Mayor Bennett,
Mayor Kirksey, myself, then again Mayor Kirksey — I'm only
counting him once even though he bookended me in a very
friendly manner, and now under Mayor Wright. I don't think
many people can establish themselves as a public servant in a
role where continuity of service and actually even with a break
in service and coming back. I don't think there's anything to
compare that to. So Lee, I've watched you as an outstanding
leader, and we've become good friends. I'm not sure which is
more important, the friendship or the leadership that you've
provided, but the City of Livonia owes you a great debt of
gratitude. I personally owe you a debt of gratitude for your
friendship. I think you folks are very fortunate to have had the
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opportunity to work with Lee during the time when we can bring
all of his historical perspective to the work that you do. Now
some of the others of you now take over. You take the reins and
the next generation moves forward. That happens. That's just
life, and that's the way it should be. Fortunately, the City is
blessed to have some very young leaders, some of you sitting at
that bench. I'm kind of looking at that side of the table. But don't
make any mistake about it. Joe Taylor has contributed mightily
to this community in his various capacities, whether it's the
Zoning Board, Planning Commission, City Council and so on.
It's hard to single any one out for particular recognition, but
tonight is Lee's night. This is his last night as Chairman and as a
member of the City Planning Commission, and it's a great honor
to be here to recognize that, and I'm sorry if I took more than my
three minutes, but that's the way it is.
Mr. Morrow: Again, I'm honored that you came tonight and thank you for
those kind remarks. And I think the only thing that I would reply
to, as was indicated, I've served a number of years and I'm very
proud of the Planning Commission through all those years
because in all the years I've been on it, every member of the
Planning Commission were dedicated people. They were there
to do their work, do their best job and put the petitions, as least
as far as we could determine, the best foot forward as it moved
on up through the chain of command. In other words, the City
Council with the involvement of the Mayors. So anyway, I've
made a lot of friends as a result of that obviously. Everything
has to come to an end but no regrets. It's time for me to move
on. It's time to bring some new people on board, and I'm sure
they'll work just as hard as all the prior Commissioners. So with
that, if the Mayors will permit me, I'm going to ask for Agenda
Item #1 to be read.
ITEM #1 PETITION 2016-02-02-02 WADE SHOWS
Mr. Long, Acting Secretary, announced the first item on the agenda, Petition
2016-02-02-02 submitted by Wade Shows, Inc. requesting
waiver use approval pursuant to Section 11.03(1) of the City of
Livonia Zoning Ordinance #543, as amended, to conduct a
carnival in the parking lot of Sears, sponsored by the Rotary
Club of Livonia, consisting of amusement rides, games and food
concessions from May 20, 2016 through May 30, 2016,
inclusive, on property at 29500 Seven Mile Road, located on the
northwest corner of Seven Mile Road and Middlebelt Road in
the Southeast 1/4 of Section 2.
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Mr. Taormina: This is a recurring request by the Rotary Club of Livonia to hold
a fundraising carnival in the parking lot of Sears. This request is
treated as a waiver use under the C-2 district regulations. The
operator of the carnival will be Wade Shows. The City granted
waiver use approval to allow a carnival at this same location last
year. The duration of this year's carnival will be 11 days from
May 20, 2016 through May 30, 2016. The dates of operation
correspond with the Friday before the weekend of Memorial Day
and would extend through the Memorial Day weekend. The
proposed hours of operation are from 4:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Monday through Friday and then 12:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Saturdays and Sundays. On Tuesday, June 1, the carnival
would be closed and removed from the site. The layout of the
carnival is identical to last year's. The area utilized for the
carnival is roughly 660 feet by 320 feet, and it is located in the
southeast corner of the parking lot of Sears. After several years
of the equipment and RV storage being located at the rear of
the property, about two years ago that moved to the front of the
lot to remove any disturbances to the condominium complex
that is located on the north side of St. Martins. So this year's
event is the same. The equipment storage will be located in the
southwest corner of the property. With that, Mr. Chairman, I can
read out the departmental correspondence.
Mr. Morrow: Let's read those into the record.
Mr. Taormina: There are four items of correspondence. The first item is from
the Engineering Division, dated February 16, 2016, which reads
as follows: "In accordance with your request, the Engineering
Division has reviewed the above referenced waiver use
approval request. The address of 29500 Seven Mile Road is
correct for the subject parcel, and should be used in connection
with this petition. The legal description provided for the property
does not close per surveying standards, but is sufficient to
describe the parcel for this petition. We have no objections to
the proposed petition, although the following items should be
noted: (1) Should the carnival have the need to occupy, or
should any of the associated activities impact either of the
Seven Mile Road or Middlebelt Road rights-of-way, a permit
from Wayne County will be required as both roads are under
their jurisdiction. (2) All sanitary sewage from the site,
recreational vehicles or campers shall be disposed of properly.
(3) Should the operators need to have water provided for their
facilities, they should contact the City of Livonia Water
Department to obtain the proper equipment, including a water
meter with backflow preventer."The letter is signed by David W.
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Lear, P.E., Assistant City Engineer. The second letter is from
the Livonia Fire & Rescue Division, dated February 23, 2016,
which reads as follows: "This office has reviewed the site plan
submitted in connection with a request to conduct a carnival
sponsored by the Rotary Club of Livonia consisting of
amusement rides, games and food concessions from May 20,
2016 through May 30, 2016, inclusive, on property located at
the above referenced address. As long as the applicant adheres
to NFPA 1, chapter 10.15, NFPA 96, chapter 10, and NFPA
101-Life Safety Code, this department has no objections to this
petition." The letter is signed by Daniel Lee, Fire Marshal. The
third letter is from the Division of Police, dated February 17,
2016, which reads as follows: "I have reviewed the plans in
connection with the petition. I have no objections to the
proposal." The letter is signed by Brian Leigh, Sergeant, Traffic
Bureau. The fourth letter is from the Inspection Department,
dated March 3, 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? Seeing none,
I see the petitioner standing at the podium. We will need your
name and address for the record please.
Pat Zucal, 30855 Rayburn Street, Livonia, Michigan 48154. I'm a member of the
Livonia AM Club.
Mr. Morrow: You've heard the presentation. Is there anything you'd like to
add to it?
Mr. Zucal: This is our fifth year and it's our biggest fundraiser. We love
putting this on and appreciate the opportunity to do it year after
year. Like the gentleman said, pretty much the same as last
year.
Mr. Morrow: Are there any questions of the petitioner? Seeing none, 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.
Mr. Wilshaw: This is fairly routine request that we receive on behalf of the
Rotary for this carnival. It appears as if it is set up as it has been
in prior years in a way that impacts the residents minimally in
that area. As a result, I'm going to offer an approving resolution.
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On a motion by Wilshaw, seconded by Taylor, and unanimously adopted, it was
#03-20-2016 RESOLVED, that pursuant to a Public Hearing having been
held by the City Planning Commission on March 15, 2016, on
Petition 2016-02-02-02 submitted by Wade Shows, Inc.
requesting waiver use approval pursuant to Section 11.03(1) of
the City of Livonia Zoning Ordinance #543, as amended, to
conduct a carnival in the parking lot of Sears, sponsored by the
Rotary Club of Livonia, consisting of amusement rides, games
and food concessions from May 20, 2016, through May 30,
2016, inclusive, on property at 29500 Seven Mile Road, located
on the northwest corner of Seven Mile Road and Middlebelt
Road in the Southeast 1/4 of Section 2, which property is zoned
C-2, the Planning Commission does hereby recommend to the
City Council that Petition 2016-02-02-02 be approved subject to
the following conditions:
1. That the carnival shall be limited to the dates as specified
by Wade Shows, Inc., which are May 20, 2016, through
May 30, 2016, inclusive;
2. That the proposed carnival operation shall be confined to
the area as illustrated on the aerial layout plan submitted
as received by the Planning Commission on February 8,
2016;
3. That all rides, food concessions, booths and all other
equipment and apparatus relating to the operation of the
carnival shall be located at least 60 feet distant from the
Seven Mile and Middlebelt Roads right-of-way lines;
4. That the temporary housing and storage of other trucks
and equipment associated with the carnival shall be parked
or stored within the extreme southwestern portion of the
Sears parking lot, but no closer than 60 feet from the
Seven Mile Road right-of-way line;
5. That the hours of operation shall be limited to the following:
Monday through Friday from 4:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.; and
on the weekends, Saturday and Sunday, from 12:00 p.m.
to 11:00 p.m.; and
6. That access to fire hydrants is provided for the Fire
Department.
Subject to the preceding conditions, this petition is approved for
the following reasons:
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1. That the proposed use complies with all of the special and
general waiver use standards and requirements as set
forth in Sections 11.03 and 19.06 of the Zoning Ordinance
#543;
2. That the site has the capacity to accommodate the
proposed use;
3. That the use of the subject property for carnival purposes
will not interrupt the normal traffic flow and circulation in the
area and will not impede access to Sears or Livonia
Marketplace; and
4. That no reporting City department objects to the proposed
use.
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, 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 this evening.
Mr. Zucal: Thank you, gentleman, and Chairman, I'd like to thank you for
your service to this great community of Livonia as well.
Mr. Morrow: That's very kind of you, young man. I appreciate that.
ITEM #2 PETITION 2016-02-02-03 MT. HOPE
Mr. Long, Acting Secretary, announced the next item on the agenda, Petition
2016-02-02-03 submitted by Midwest Memorial Group
requesting waiver use approval pursuant to Section 6.03(e) of
the City of Livonia Zoning Ordinance #543, as amended, to
construct an addition to an existing mausoleum at the Mt. Hope
Memorial Gardens Cemetery at 17800 Middlebelt Road, located
on the east side of Middlebelt Road between Six Mile Road and
Pickford Avenue in the Southwest 1/4 of Section 12.
Mr. Taormina: This is a waiver use request to construct an addition to an
existing mausoleum located at the Mt. Hope Memorial Gardens
Cemetery which is located on the east side of Middlebelt
between Six Mile and Pickford Avenue. The zoning of the
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property is AG, General Agricultural. This property is about 53
acres in total area. Cemeteries are treated as a waiver use in
the AG zoning district. Even though the cemetery currently has
a mausoleum, constructing additional crypts is considered an
expansion of the use and can only be approved through waiver
use approval. The subject mausoleum was granted waiver use
approval in 2006. It consists of an existing building and crypts
located on the southerly portion of the cemetery about 430 feet
east of Middlebelt Road. The existing structure is roughly 1,785
square feet in size. The building consists of a central chapel that
is flanked symmetrically on both sides with the crypts. The
addition to this structure will measure roughly 2,170 square feet,
so it will essentially double the size of the mausoleum. It would
built at the rear or south side of the existing building. It would
have a very similar layout to the existing mausoleum. It would
have a central meditation area and then projections on both the
east and west sides to accommodate the additional crypts. The
enlarged mausoleum altogether would be about 4,000 square
feet in size. The look and the building materials of the proposed
addition would match the existing structure. It would be
constructed primarily out of masonry. It would have a stucco
finish on the back and the fronts of the burial crypts would have
the same polished granite panels as the existing building. The
roofline of the addition would match the existing. With that, Mr.
Chairman, I can read out the departmental correspondence.
Mr. Morrow: Yes, please.
Mr. Taormina: There are four items of correspondence. The first item is from
the Engineering Division, dated February 16, 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 waiver use at this time. The legal
description included with the submitted petition appears to be
correct and should be used in conjunction with this petition. The
existing property is assigned an address of 17800 Middlebelt
Road. The existing building is currently serviced by public
utilities. 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. The
second letter is from the Livonia Fire & Rescue Division, dated
February 17, 2016, which reads as follows: "This office has
reviewed the site plan submitted in connection with a request to
construct an addition to a mausoleum on property located at the
above referenced address. We have no objections to this
proposal with the following stipulations: Emergency lighting and
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27485
exit signs must be installed in the old and proposed new
addition." The letter is signed by Daniel Lee, Fire Marshal. The
third letter is from the Division of Police, dated February 12,
2016, which reads as follows: "I have reviewed the plans in
connection with the petitions. I have no objections to the
proposal." The letter is signed by Brian Leigh, Sergeant, Traffic
Bureau. The fourth letter is from the Inspection Department,
dated March 3, 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? Seeing none,
is the petitioner here this evening? We will need your name and
address for the record please.
Steve Garske, 570 Georgian Terrance, Saginaw, Michigan. I work for Midwest
Memorial Group and Mt. Hope.
Mr. Morrow: You've heard the presentation. Is there anything you'd like to
add to it?
Mr. Garske: I'd just like to stress it's substantially the same design. It's going
to look a little larger. We're keeping it way back in the cemetery.
Our closest neighbor is actually another cemetery. We try to be
good neighbors.
Mr. Morrow: Does the Commission have any questions of the petitioner?
Mr. Wilshaw: Mr. Garske, the way the building was designed initially appears
as if it was thought of that it could expand toward the back of the
building. It was left in a way it appears to allow for this
expansion. I'm wondering if this expansion is successful, fills up,
and you need to make another expansion of the building, is
there still allowance for that or would you have to go to a
different building?
Mr. Garske: What we actually had to do here is, we found out from
experience that our chapel is a tad small for the size of our
funerals. So we actually are expanding the chapel. If we decide
to add on in the future, it most likely will not be indoor. We do
have outdoor mausoleums in that cemetery and these will be
free standing mausoleums that don't have interior access. Most
likely, that is the way we would go.
Mr. Wilshaw: Okay. Thank you.
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Mr. Morrow: Any other questions of the petitioner? Seeing none, is there
anyone 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 Taylor, seconded by Wilshaw, and unanimously adopted, it was
#03-21-2016 RESOLVED, that pursuant to a Public Hearing having been
held by the City Planning Commission on March 15, 2016, on
Petition 2016-02-02-03 submitted by Midwest Memorial Group
requesting waiver use approval pursuant to Section 6.03(e) of
the City of Livonia Zoning Ordinance #543, as amended, to
construct an addition to an existing mausoleum at the Mt. Hope
Memorial Gardens Cemetery at 17800 Middlebelt Road, located
on the east side of Middlebelt Road between Six Mile Road and
Pickford Avenue in the Southwest 1/4 of Section 12, which
property is zoned AG, the Planning Commission does hereby
recommend to the City Council that Petition 2016-02-02-03 be
approved subject to the following conditions:
1. That the Site Layout Plan marked T-1 dated February 4,
2016 prepared by Mausoleum Constructors of America, is
hereby approved and shall be adhered to;
2. That the Elevations Plan marked A-2 dated February 4,
2016 prepared by Mausoleum Constructors of America, is
hereby approved and shall be adhered to;
3. That all rooftop mounted mechanical equipment shall be
concealed from public view on all sides by screening that
shall be of a compatible character, material and color to
other exterior materials on the building;
4. That the specific plans referenced in this approving
resolution shall be submitted to the Inspection Department
at the time the building permits are applied for; and
5. Pursuant to Section 19.10 of Ordinance #543, the Zoning
Ordinance of the City of Livonia, this approval is valid for a
period of ONE YEAR ONLY from the date of approval by
City Council, and unless a building permit is obtained, this
approval shall be null and void at the expiration of said
period.
March 15, 2016
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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, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing
resolution adopted. It will go on to City Council with an
approving resolution.
ITEM #3 PETITION 2016-01-06-03 LANGUAGE AMENDMENT
P DISTRICT REGULATIONS
Mr. Long, Acting Secretary, announced the next item on the agenda, Petition
2016-02-06-02 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 XIII, P District Regulations, of the City of
Livonia Zoning Ordinance No. 543, as amended, by removing
Section 13.03(d).
Mr. Morrow: This is a petition brought forth from the City Planning
Commission. With that, I'll go directly to Mr. Taormina.
Mr. Taormina: This is a request to determine whether or not to amend Article
XIII of the Zoning Ordinance which relates to the P, Parking
District Regulations. It is a request to remove Section 13.03(d).
The proposed language amendment is at the request of the City
Law Department. It is intended to eliminate any confusion
regarding the City's authority to allow for the construction of
parking decks or other structures designed for parking vehicles
within the P, Parking district. This change would simply
eliminate subsection (d) from the language of Section 13.03
which currently prohibits buildings, other than a parking
attendant's booth, from being erected on any P-zoned property.
So we provided the Commission with the language, showing
which language would be stricken from the ordinance. With that,
Mr. Chairman, I'd be happy to answer any questions you may
have.
Mr. Morrow: Any questions of the Commission? Seeing none, 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 Long, seconded by Taylor, and unanimously adopted, it was
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#03-22-2016 RESOLVED, that pursuant to a Public Hearing having been
held by the City Planning Commission on May 13, 2016, on
Petition 2016-02-06-02 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 XIII, P District Regulations, of
the City of Livonia Zoning Ordinance No. 543, as amended, by
removing Section 13.03(d), the Planning Commission does
hereby recommend to the City Council that Petition 2016-02-06-
02 be approved for the following reasons:
1. That the proposed language amendment would eliminate
any confusion regarding the construction of parking decks
and other structures designed for parking vehicles in the P,
Parking district; and
2. 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: Is there any discussion?
Mr. Taylor: Mark, this pretty much would eliminate what happened over on
Eight Mile without them coming through for a waiver use. Is that
true?
Mr. Taormina: No, it wouldn't change the situation. That was a matter of just
making sure that there was no confusion in the language
regarding the construction of structures. We looked at this early
on and determined that the language is broad enough to allow
these, but it did raise some concern on how it was worded. For
those reasons, the Law Department advised that we eliminate
that section because they didn't feel it was necessary and was
contrary to the purpose of the goals and objectives of the
Parking district.
Mr. Taylor: 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. That concludes the Public Hearing portion
of our agenda. We now move to miscellaneous items.
March 15, 2016
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ITEM #4 PETITION 2016-02-08-01 COSTCO
Mr. Long, Acting Secretary, announced the next item on the agenda, Petition
2016-02-08-01 submitted by Costco Wholesale Corporation
requesting approval of all plans required by Sections 18.47 and
18.58 of the City of Livonia Zoning Ordinance #543, as
amended, in connection with a proposal to construct a
warehouse addition to the rear of the building, expand the
loading dock area and modify the entrance of the Costco store
at 20000 Haggerty Road, located on the east side of Haggerty
Road between Seven Mile and Eight Mile Roads in the
Northwest 1/4 of Section 6.
Mr. Taormina: This is a request to expand the existing Costco warehouse
located on the east side of Haggerty Road midway between
Seven and Eight Mile Roads. As you can see, the zoning for this
property is C-2, General Business. The Costco that currently
sits on this property is about 131,629 square feet. Upon
completion of this expansion project, the floor area would
increase to about a total of 157,250 square feet, an increase of
over 25,000 square feet. The majority of the added space would
be at the rear of the building. The addition would extend the
warehouse approximately 50 feet in an easterly direction
towards the 1-275 expressway. This addition measures roughly
22,456 square feet. The area that we're referring to is the long
shaded area on the right hand side of the drawing. The footprint
of the addition extends the full length of the building, which is
over 460 feet. The area behind the warehouse is currently used
for service functions as well as parking. The warehouse
expansion will require moving the curb further to the east in
order to maintain access and to replace some of the lost
parking. The service functions, which include a compressor and
electrical equipment that are currently at the back of the
warehouse, will be relocated inside the building. The floor plan
included in your packet shows where the relocated functions
would take place within the building. The exterior building
materials and the colors on the addition will match the existing
building. It basically includes taupe-colored masonry block and
some horizontal ribbed metal panels that would all be accented
with a red horizontal band. The architect is here this evening
and he will be able to describe these changes in greater detail.
The next addition is to the loading dock area, which is at the
south end of the building. This addition is much smaller. It's
about 3,164 square feet. It will move the truck wells slightly to
the west. Again, the architectural appearance would match that
of the existing building by using the same materials and colors.
The most visible aspect to this project would occur at the front of
March 15, 2016
27490
the warehouse. It involves changes to the front entrance which
is at the northwest corner of the building. The remodeling would
provide a larger overhang where the vestibule is currently
located and that will provide cover for customers entering the
store and for cart storage. The changes also include some
minor alterations to the Tire Center which is located on north
side of the building. Again, I'll have the architect explain those in
greater detail. The building materials include vertical and
horizontal ribbed metal panels along the fascia elements. There
are some columns that will be wrapped with a similar type of
ribbed metal but those are a different color, and then some steel
trellis designs with the painted masonry. The addition to the
front of the store will project outward from the building. That is
going to cause some of the parking closest to the building to be
reconfigured. That will mean losing some of the existing
landscape islands, but those islands will be replaced with new
landscape islands. The landscape plan depicts how those areas
would be re-landscaped. There is a detailed landscape plan
provided with the application that shows all the landscaping
would be replaced. This also includes full landscaping along the
rear part of the building. One of the changes that occurred
between the time the Planning Commission reviewed this at its
study meeting and tonight's meeting is the addition of parking
along the rear of the building. All of the parking that currently
exists behind the store was going to be eliminated. Taking into
consideration some of the concerns expressed at that study
meeting, the revised plan shows the curb being moved further to
the east in the area where it can be moved without creating any
substantial topographic changes and replacing that area with
about 28 new parking spaces. That would recoup some of the
lost parking spaces. It cannot be extended further to the south
without really impacting the grades. There is also a slight offset
in the property line. That presents some complications, but this
is an area of the site where the grade really rises steeply.
Already there is going to be a 10 foot wall provided along the
back of the store in that area. Where it flattens out, they can add
the additional parking. When we look at the overall parking
impact, Costco is part of a planned commercial development
that is known as Chestnut Hills. That includes the adjacent
Target store, as well as two restaurants, Twin Peaks and
Panera Bread, as well as the Horizon Health Medical Center.
According to project data that was provided with the application,
Costco is allocated currently about 739 parking spaces. Upon
completion of the project, the plan shows that there would be
696 spaces, which results in a net decrease of 43 spaces. Per
Ordinance, Costco would need to have 786 parking spaces
based on a ratio of one space for every 160 square feet of
March 15, 2016
27491
useable floor area. When we look at the overall development,
what is required is about 2,038 spaces for the five main uses
that make up Chestnut Hills. There are about 1,867 spaces
currently, resulting in a deficiency of 171. Rather than looking at
Costco by itself, we have to look at the entire development
because of the shared parking arrangement that exists between
all of these uses. When we do that, there is currently a
deficiency of about 171 spaces. The Zoning Board of Appeals
previously granted a variance allowing for a shortfall of 160
spaces. When we look at the addition to this building and the
loss of the additional parking, it is going to increase the
deficiency to about 214 spaces, and that is going to require this
item to go back before the Zoning Board of Appeals for
approval. As far as the impact on parking with the additional
warehouse space, I'll let the petitioner address that as to
whether or not this would actually generate more parking to the
facility. I believe there have been some studies done on that
question. With that, Mr. Chairman, I can read out the
correspondence/
Mr. Morrow: Just one question, Mark.
Mr. Taormina: Sure.
Mr. Morrow: Does the Advanced Medical Center run a seven day a week
operation?
Mr. Taormina: I can't answer whether or not any part of that facility is open on
the weekends, but what I can tell you is that there is a
substantial reduction in the parking demand for that site during
the weekends, and I think the parking analysis that was
provided with your information demonstrates that. It shows
exactly how the level of parking drops off during the weekend
and opens up additional parking for the Costco facility when
they are at their peak hours of operation.
Mr. Morrow: Right. That's the point I wanted to bring out.
Mr. Taormina: That is critical to Costco's ability to function at this location. I
think the petitioner will provide more information on that.
Mr. Morrow: Okay. Thank you. And the correspondence please.
Mr. Taormina: There are three items of correspondence. The first item is from
the Engineering Division, dated February 16, 2016, which reads
as follows: "In accordance with your request, the Engineering
Division has reviewed the above-referenced petition. We have
March 15, 2016
27492
no objections to the proposed development at this time. The
included legal description appears to be correct and should be
used in conjunction with this petition. The existing property is
assigned the address of 20000 Haggerty Road. The submitted
drawings indicate that the existing private utilities in the area of
the proposed addition will need to be relocated. Since the work
will disturb private utilities, there should be no impact to any
public utilities within the site. If the petition is approved, the
owner should submit construction plans to this department to
determine if any Engineering Department permits will be
required. Also, it appears that stormwater detention was
provided for the overall development when it was constructed,
and therefore will not be required for the proposed project. We
will provide comments for these systems once we have a
chance to review the full construction drawing submittaL" The
letter is signed by David Lear, P.E., Assistant City Engineer.
The second letter is from the Livonia Fire & Rescue Division,
dated February 23, 2016, which reads as follows: "This office
has reviewed the site plan submitted in connection with a
request to construct a warehouse addition to the rear of the
building, expand the loading dock area and modify the entrance
of the Costco store on property located at the above referenced
address. We have no objections to this proposal." The letter is
signed by Daniel Lee, Fire Marshal. The third letter is from the
Division of Police, dated February 17, 2016, which reads as
follows: "I have reviewed the plans in connection with the
petition. I have no objections to the proposal." The letter is
signed by Brian Leigh, Sergeant, Traffic Bureau. That is the
extent of the correspondence.
Mr. Morrow: Any questions of the Planning Director?
Mr. Taormina: Mr. Chairman, I apologize. I didn't really go through the other
slides showing the perspective renderings, but I'll be happy to
scroll through those during the petitioner's presentation.
Mr. Morrow: That will work. If there are no questions of the Planning Director,
yes, sir?
Ted Johnson, TJ Design Strategies, Ltd., 2311 W. 22"d, Suite 208, Oak Brook,
Illinois 60523. I am Costco's Development Manager for Midwest
projects. It's good to see you all again. I've been in front of this
group several times.
Mr. Morrow: We appreciate that.
March 15, 2016
27493
Mr. Johnson: Why are we doing this? For the last three years, four years, I've
been going back to some of our earlier warehouses, several in
Detroit, where we did not initially build a prototype Costco.
When Costco came into Detroit, and I didn't do the original, I
believe it was five, they purchased HQ's and converted those
warehouses into a Costco. As Mark mentioned, this one is
131,000 square feet. What we have been building today for the
last probably three to four years, is approximately 156,000 —
157,000 square foot prototype. The most recent one I've done in
the Detroit area several years ago, Pittsfield Township. So what
we're wanting to do is, where we can, expand our existing
smaller warehouses so we can bring the same merchandise
that our newer warehouses in Pittsfield, in Green Oaks, so the
member here has the same opportunity to buy what we're
selling in adjacent warehouses. Now we can't do it in all cases
because I run out of land. I don't have sufficient parking. We've
been at this location for about 2.5 years. We feel very
comfortable with this addition with the parking provided. When I
do a ground up Costco, I target my site plan with about 750
stalls, and then when working with staff and that and putting in
more landscaping, that gets whittled down to somewhere
between 700, 725 and we're very comfortable with that number
in the Midwest. The 696 that this plan has, we're comfortable
with that number with this size warehouse. We do not really see
an increase in membership when we expand. Yes, we see an
increase in sales because we're bringing in more merchandise
for the member to purchase. What we're also doing on the
exterior is updating the look so it's looking not like a 20 year old
Costco but like what we are currently building. So we've got
more storefront glass at the main entrance. We're putting
storefront doors at the Tire Center. Over the last 6-8 years,
we've been using the red metal panel, either in a vertical
application or a horizontal. So that's what we've done here.
Where we could, because I am again working with an existing
structure and there's some structural issues that we've got to
deal with, but we've applied those current design options to this
building. Back to parking, we did do a parking utilization study
back in April of 2014. That's how long ago I started this. I
wanted to make sure that we could reduce our amount of
parking here and we'd have sufficient parking. We counted on a
Saturday, which is really our busiest time, as well as on a
Tuesday. And based on door counts, back in March of 2014,
those were the days that appeared to be the highest. On the
Saturday, of the 740 spaces that exist on the site, only 405 at
the 1:30 peak, that was the most that were utilized at that
particular time. The Tuesday, it was 271. When I look at door
counts, on the Saturday when I had 405, my door count had
March 15, 2016
27494
about 300 people. I look then at, and that's the existing Livonia.
We then compare that to a Midwest store that has 156,000
square feet and that had 340. So there isn't much of an increase
in the members that come when we increase the store size. So
again, based on the 76 I've done in the Midwest, I'm
comfortable with the proposal for the 696 stalls, and I
understand about the Zoning Board of Appeals and that process
and we'll proceed to go in front of that Board. With that, I'd be
glad to answer any questions you may have.
Mr. Taylor: How many employees does this store have? Are you aware of
how many they might have? The reason I'm asking the question
is, parking-wise, if you have a spot for them to park. What we've
done in the past are 9 foot spaces, which allows you to pick up
some of the parking. I don't know whether you've looked at that.
Mr. Johnson: The peak employee count in the warehouse, and this would be
during the holiday season, is about 75. Now the employee count
here is probably employing somewhere between 230 to 275, but
we don't have that many in the warehouse.
Mr. Taylor: Do you ask those employees to park in a certain spot?
Mr. Johnson: From the parking utilization study, I would assume that the
warehouse manager on the weekend is telling them to park over
by the office. That facility, at least when we've looked at it, is
only open Monday through Thursday. So all the cars you see
there on the weekend are probably the warehouse employees.
And that's what we generally do. The manager will instruct the
employees specifically during the November — December
holiday season, where to park furthest from the store. In some
cases, we've even parked off site and shuttled, if parking
becomes a problem.
Mr. Taylor: The other time the store gets very busy is the first day of the
coupon book. It seems like it's always busy that day.
Mr. Johnson: And the last day.
Mr. Taylor: And the last day. Right. So I don't know whether you took a
count at that time or not, but anyway, the 9 foot spaces may
help but you could work that out with Mark if you have to.
Mr. Johnson: Yes. The problem with 9 foot spaces is our members have got
spoiled with the 10 foot spaces. I have some in older stores. We
used to do 9 foot spaces around the perimeter, and we've heard
about it.
March 15, 2016
27495
Mr. Taylor: Oh, I don't recommend that for the citizen shopping. Just for
people who go there and park for eight hours. That's what I'm
thinking about. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Morrow: We appreciate those comments. The 10 foot by 20 foot parking
double stripe is part of Livonia. We may change a lot of things,
but we'll never change that because people from other
communities compliment us on coming to Livonia to shop
because of that reason. Are there any questions from the
Commissioners?
Mr. Long: With the parking study being from the spring of 2014, just a
couple questions. Has anything changed in that interim two year
period that would perhaps require a freshening of the parking
study?
Mr. Johnson: I'll look. I don't think so. Generally, we find warehouses after
they've been opened 10 years, they're mature. We don't see
any major increase in membership after that. The door counts
that I gave you, those are from March of 2016 because we do
door counts on a daily basis. So I know on any given day how
many people are coming in and out.
Mr. Long: Do those door counts increase significantly because again this
is spring of year 2014? Would December look much different
than that with holidays or is that kind of immune from it?
Mr. Johnson: No, the overall daily count will, but once a member understands
their warehouse, they basically know where they're going to
park and they know what day and time they're going to go. Do I
go to my Costco on Saturday between noon and 2:00 p.m.? No.
Mr. Long: And then my last question, Mr. Chairman. I think I heard you say
this or address this already, but the purpose of the expansion is
really to give your members more options and not necessarily to
try to drive more membership. You wouldn't turn that down by
any means.
Mr. Johnson: Exactly. Our typical prototype, we're carrying about 38,000 to
40,000 skews, shelf keeping units. There's no way at 130,000 I
can get that kind of merchandise in. So we're just going to be
able to bring in more merchandise, and again, if somebody here
in Livonia is paying $55 for a membership, we believe they
should have the same choice of merchandise as a Pittsfield
member who is paying $55.
March 15, 2016
27496
Mr. Morrow: Any other questions?
Mr. Wilshaw: Just a brief question. This particular store on Haggerty seems to
do quite well and, of course, you've had to come to us a number
of times to ask for additions or changes and so on to keep
improving that. Do you have a sense of what the store sales are
at this location in comparison to some of the other locations? Is
this one of the better performing stores or is it in the middle? I'm
just curious how this store compares to the other locations.
Mr. Johnson: It's very good sales here.
Mr. Wilshaw: It seems that way to me as I look at how busy they are.
Mr. Johnson: Yes. It's probably slightly higher than Middlebelt. I'm not sure
how it compares with some adjacent ones like Pittsfield, but
when we just look at what we consider the Detroit market
commerce to Livonia's, the other ones on the east side, these
are performing very well.
Mr. Wilshaw: And size-wise between this store and the one on Middlebelt in
Livonia, how do they compare after this addition is approved?
Mr. Johnson: This one would have about 26,000 square feet more because I
believe the Middlebelt was also an HQ.
Mr. Wilshaw: Right.
Mr. Johnson: When I added gas to Middlebelt a few years ago, we looked at
the potential of expanding. We just didn't have setbacks. I'm
drawing a blank because it's been a few years. Didn't we
purchase a Chinese buffet at the corner?
Mr. Wilshaw: Yes, right at the corner.
Mr. Johnson: Was that just to add parking or did we do a building expansion?
Mr. Wilshaw: I know it was for parking.
Mr. Johnson: We're going back a few years now.
Mr. Wilshaw: Yes, we are.
Mr. Morrow: Quite a few.
Mr. Wilshaw: I just wanted to thank you. A couple of the comments we had
from our study meeting were the complete elimination of parking
March 15, 2016
27497
in the back concerned us because that is good employee
parking space. And you've been able to accommodate for 20
some spaces back there, which will most certainly help because
obviously the prime spaces that the customers want are going
to be in the front of the store. The other thing was, you
mentioned Pittsburgh Township. That's one that I mentioned as
well at the study meeting. It's a very attractive building being
your newest building in this area. I was hoping you could get as
many of those design elements that we see at the Pittsfield
Township building incorporated into this one. It sounds like
you've done as much as you can to get some of those trellis and
decorative elements which make for a much less slab sided,
bland looking store.
Mr. Johnson: Yes. I believe we added at least two more from your study
session comments. We amended the landscape plan, the
building elevations. I believe those were your comments.
Mr. Wilshaw: Yes. I just want to thank you for that. It will make for a more
attractive store I believe. It's one that certainly does well and we
hope the residents that live in that general area, the shoppers
and so on, will all appreciate those enhancements.
Mr. Johnson: I think you'll really like the new storefront glass, the columns
we're highlighting, the addition of the red canopy feature. It's
going to be a good looking addition.
Mr. Wilshaw: I think so. I think it's going to be real attractive. Thank you.
Mr. Morrow: Any other questions or comments relative to the Costco
petition? Seeing no one, is there anybody in the audience that
wishes to speak for or against the granting of this petition?
Seeing no one coming forward, a motion would be in order.
On a motion by Wilshaw, seconded by Taylor, and unanimously adopted, it was
#03-23-2016 RESOLVED, that the City Planning Commission does hereby
recommend to the City Council that Petition 2016-02-08-01
submitted by Costco Wholesale Corporation requesting
approval of all plans required by Sections 18.47 and 18.58 of
the City of Livonia Zoning Ordinance #543, as amended, in
connection with a proposal to construct a warehouse addition to
the rear of the building, expand the loading dock area and
modify the entrance of the Costco store at 20000 Haggerty
Road, located on the east side of Haggerty Road between
Seven Mile and Eight Mile Roads in the Northwest 1/4 of
Section 6, be approved subject to the following conditions:
March 15, 2016
27498
1. That the Preliminary Site Plan marked P11-13, dated
March 7, 2016, prepared by Mulvanny G2 Architecture, is
hereby approved and shall be adhered to;
2. That this approval is subject to the petitioner being granted
a variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals for the slight
increase in the parking deficiency, subject to any
conditions related thereto;
3. That the Preliminary Landscape Plan marked L-1, dated
March 8, 2016, prepared by Smithgroup JJR., is hereby
approved and shall be adhered to
4. That all disturbed lawn areas shall be sodded in lieu of
hydroseeding;
5. That underground sprinklers are to be provided for all
landscaped and sodded areas and all planted materials
shall be installed to the satisfaction of the Inspection
Department and thereafter permanently maintained in a
healthy condition;
6. That the Preliminary Elevations Plan marked P31-03,
dated March 10, 2016, prepared by Mulvanny G2
Architecture, is hereby approved and shall be adhered to;
7. That all rooftop mechanical equipment shall be concealed
from public view on all sides by screening that shall be of a
compatible character, material and color to other exterior
materials on the building;
8. That only conforming signage is approved with this petition,
and any additional signage shall be separately submitted
for review and approval by the Zoning Board of Appeals;
9. That the specific plans referenced in this approving
resolution shall be submitted to the Inspection Department
at the time the building permits are applied for; and,
10. Pursuant to Section 19.10 of Ordinance #543, the Zoning
Ordinance of the City of Livonia, this approval is valid for a
period of ONE YEAR ONLY from the date of approval by
City Council, and unless a building permit is obtained, this
approval shall be null and void at the expiration of said
period.
March 15, 2016
27499
Mr. Morrow, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing
resolution adopted. It will go on to City Council with an
approving resolution. Thanks for joining us and the explanation.
Good luck with your project.
Mr. Morrow: This brings us to the fifth item on the agenda. Because that is
going to be the final vote I'm going to make on a petition, I've
chosen to pass the gavel to our Vice Chairman to conduct the
final petition and the balance of the meeting.
Mr. Wilshaw: Thank you, Mr. Chair. Will the Secretary please read the item?
ITEM #5 PETITION 2016-02-08-02 VERANT'S SALON
Mr. Long, Acting Secretary, announced the next item on the agenda, Petition
2016-02-08-02 submitted by Aaron and Angela Verant
requesting approval of all plans required by Section 18.58 of the
Zoning Ordinance in connection with a proposal to expand the
parking lot of an existing beauty salon (Verant's Salon) on
property at 19005 Farmington Road, located on the west side of
Farmington Road between Clarita Avenue and Seven Mile Road
in the Northeast 1/4 of Section 9.
Mr. Taormina: This petition is related to a rezoning case that was reviewed by
the Planning Commission last summer. The petitioners are
requesting to maintain a parking lot on part of a property located
south of their existing hair salon on Farmington Road. The
subject property contains a single family residential structure.
First Reading on the rezoning from R-1, One Family Residential,
to C-1, Local Business, was given by the City Council on August
5 of last year. Second Reading and Roll Call, the final steps in
the rezoning process, are on-hold pending a review of the site
plan. We've been working with this petitioner for several
months. It was hoped that he would have had a plan prior to this
date, but due to complications that I'll allow him to elaborate on,
the matter is just now coming to the Planning Commission. As
you reviewed this item at your study meeting a couple weeks
ago, there were several concerns expressed with the petition as
it was submitted. Because of these concerns, the petitioner is
again requesting additional time to explore design alternatives
that will provide a permanent solution, mostly to the issue of
stormwater management, and would also allow the removal of
the existing residential structure and build a permanent parking
lot. So the petition that's before you that was submitted as part
of this application really seeks an adjustment to the zoning
March 15, 2016
27500
boundaries as they were presented initially to this body and to
the City Council. It seeks to maintain the parking lot in its current
temporary condition as well as keep the house until the
petitioner can resolve this issue of stormwater management. As
I understand it, because of concerns about the temporary nature
of that request, he's gone back to the County. He's had
discussions with them. He believes there may be some options
available that he could be afforded or have the financial
resources to address the issue of stormwater, which becomes
very complicated and expensive even on a small site like this. I'll
allow him at this point, Mr. Chairman, if you don't object, to
explain the reasons why he's requesting the additional time, and
then answer any questions you may have.
Mr. Wilshaw: Thank you, Mr. Taormina. We did receive a lengthy letter, a well
written letter, from the petitioner, which we will have placed into
our official record. That will go along with this petition, but as
opposed to reading the entire letter, because the petitioner is
here, it's appropriate for him to just speak to the letter and he
can address the elements of it. Mr. Verant, can you please give
us your name and address?
Aaron Verant, 20203 Edgewood Avenue, Livonia, Michigan 48152. I did speak to
Wayne County after our meeting. I do want to try to do
something permanent on this property. As I mentioned before,
the problem I was running into was the issue with stormwater
management. I did get a quote to the tune of $150,000 just for
that part of it, and I actually received another quote in the last
couple weeks from an engineer to design that, looking at
another $20,000. Obviously, it's a small business. It's a hair
salon. I mean it's too expensive for me to perform something
like that. So there was some other options that Wayne County
mentioned. One also, I did mention, I did put a dry well into my
temporary lot. They said that's not necessarily out of the
question as long as I get it tested and it passes a percolation
test. So ideally, I would love to just be able to keep that dry well.
Another option would be installing a bio-retention pond, which
would maybe take up some parking but that would be above
ground and I wouldn't have to tap into the County sewage
system. If I did that, I probably then would most likely have to
take down the house to provide space for that. And ideally, I
would like to take down the house eventually if I could do it
affordably and add another well and then pave everything, and
eventually, I want to expand my building. I'm putting that on hold
until I get the parking thing taken care of and then come back in
the future with some plan for my building. So that's kind of
where things stand with that. I have been trying to get in contact
March 15, 2016
27501
with engineers. I just learned this in the last couple of weeks
that I would need an engineer. All along, I guess I was under the
impression that an architect would be enough to design this. So
in light of this new information, that's why I'm requesting more
time to kind of interview engineers, get my options, get the wells
tested, see if that passes, and then see if I can incorporate
maybe a bio-retention system on this property.
Mr. Wilshaw: Thank you, Mr. Verant. Essentially what you're asking for is to
table this item. We've had a chance to read your letter. Before I
go to motions from the body, I will first ask if there is anybody in
the audience that wishes to speak for or against the granting of
this petition? This is a normal part of protocol. I don't see
anybody coming forward to speak, so I will go to the
Commission to see if there is a motion.
Mr. Morrow: I would like to offer a tabling resolution to a date certain of April
30, which I think concurs with the request made by the
petitioner.
On a motion by Morrow, seconded by Taylor, and unanimously adopted, it was
#03-24-2016 RESOLVED, that the City Planning Commission does hereby
recommend that Petition 2016-02-08-02 submitted by Aaron
and Angela Verant requesting approval of all plans required by
Section 18.58 of the Zoning Ordinance in connection with a
proposal to expand the parking lot of an existing beauty salon
(Verant's Salon) on property at 19005 Farmington Road, located
on the west side of Farmington Road between Clarita Avenue
and Seven Mile Road in the Northeast 1/4 of Section 9, be
tabled to the May 17, 2016, Study Meeting to allow the
Petitioner sufficient time to explore engineering alternatives for
the adequate treatment and storage of storm water.
Mr. Wilshaw, Acting Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing
resolution adopted. This has been tabled to our April 30
meeting. You'll be notified of that and we'll pick it up at the study
meeting which I believe is the week prior to that. Is that correct,
Mr. Taormina?
Mr. Taormina: Yes. I'm just going to double check that date. Was the resolution
for April 30 or May 17? While his letter requested the end of
April, I think as we looked at the schedule, it made sense to
place it on the May 17 study meeting.
Mr. Wilshaw: Okay. So we'll pick this item back up at that meeting. Thank
you.
March 15, 2016
27502
ITEM #6 APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1,083rd Public Hearings and
Regular Meeting
Mr. Long, Acting Secretary, announced the next item on the agenda, Approval of
the Minutes of the 1,083rd Public Hearings and Regular Meeting
held on February 23, 2016.
On a motion by Morrow, seconded by Long, and adopted, it was
#03-25-2016 RESOLVED, that the Minutes of 1,083rd Public Hearings and
Regular Meeting held by the Planning Commission on February
23, 2016, are hereby approved.
A roll call vote on the foregoing resolution resulted in the following:
AYES: Morrow, Long, Taylor, Wilshaw
NAYS: None
ABSENT: None
ABSTAIN: Ventura
Mr. Wilshaw, Acting Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing
resolution adopted.
Mr. Wilshaw: That leaves us to the end of the agenda, which normally is
where we would ask for a motion to adjourn, but this is a special
meeting for us tonight. We do have one of our esteemed
members leaving, and I think there is a number of people in the
audience who would like to start up an audience communication
session and maybe speak to Mr. Morrow before he leaves. First,
I will open the floor to see if there's any other business from the
Commission itself. Anyone wishing to speak? If not, I will then
go to the large audience that we still have left and see if any of
the folks here in the audience would like to say a few words to
Mr. Morrow before we close this meeting. We have Mayor
Wright coming forward.
Mayor Wright: Good evening.
Mr. Morrow: This is a total surprise.
Mayor Wright: We have a Certificate of Recognition and appreciation
presented to R. Lee Morrow. "I, Dennis K. Wright, Mayor of the
City of Livonia, along with Kathleen E. McIntyre, representing
the Livonia City Council, do hereby extend the heartfelt
appreciation of a grateful community for your service as
Chairman, Vice-Chairman and Secretary of the Livonia Planning
Commission for over 31 years. Your integrity, professionalism
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and commitment to our City will be sorely missed and we wish
you the very best in the future."Thank you.
Mr. Morrow: Thank you, your Honor. Thank you very much. Look who's
coming now.
Council Member Maureen Miller-Brosnan: Commission, Mr. Morrow, thank you
all for affording us just a little bit of time this evening to talk a
little bit about a lifetime of appreciation that we've had for the
service of Mr. Morrow. Long before I even first started on the
City Council, I had lunch with the City Treasurer at the time, Bob
Bishop, and in the middle of lunch he asked, do you ever think
that maybe one day you'd aspire to help and to serve the City in
any way, shape or form? I was really new to things and said, it's
really not on my radar right now. He said, well, if it ever is, here
is a list of people that you need to be sure to have on your side.
And on that list of people was Lee Morrow. And I didn't know a
whole lot about the Livonia community and the shoulders of
giants that we would one day stand on, but among them is
certainly Lee Morrow. They always say you really don't know
who your friends are until you get into the trenches with them. A
little more than eight years ago, Lee and I found ourselves in
one of my races where Lee was on my side and in the trenches
with me. And one day in particular burns in my memory, and I
want to share this little story because I do think, while it is a
small story, it really paints a very big, big picture. Envision
yourself on the day of an election when all of the signs go up.
Anybody who has ever run an election knows what that day is
like. The attempt and what you're hoping to achieve on that day
is that those signs go up fast and early in the morning so that
when people rise to get their coffee that morning, the first thing
they see is that your name has just grown up out of the
pavement and out of the grass and out of the berms, anywhere
you can find space and are allowed to place a sign. We had
broken the city down into four areas and Lee and Joe Taylor
were one of the teams manning one of the four areas, and I will
tell you and they will readily admit, they were the older, more
senior members of the sign crew at that time. So we asked,
would you like a set of young hands to go with you, strong
shoulders and backs, and no, they were fine. They had
experience. They knew exactly how to do this. They've done
this for many, many years. So armed with the signs and the
wires and the hammers and the mallots and the staple guns, off
they went. For the first team back to collect their second round
of signs, of course was Joe and Lee. As I pulled into the parking
lot, they had worked so hard, Lee jumped out of the car and
instantly I noticed that something was askew. The side of his
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shorts was split from the knee to the waist so it looked like on
one side he was wearing a skirt. Now he's all put together on
the other side, but that one side, the boxers were flying. You
saw it all. But that wasn't going to stop him. He looks at Joe, he
puts his hand out. There are no words exchanged. He simply
puts his hand out. Joe hands him a staple gun and he staples
up the side of his shorts and they're off. A little story, but it tells
you a lot about the man. This is a man who for 31 years has
known how to get the job done in Livonia. He does it every time
he sits here, very judiciously and he does it with a great deal of
time that has gone into reviewing all of the cases that are before
him. So that when push comes to shove and things get a little
bit dicey, he knows just what to do. He knows when to grab that
staple gun. And this is a man who is true and that is very rare in
political circles these days to find somebody who not only tells
you they're going to do something, but in fact follows through
and does it. So Lee, for all of us in Livonia who have had the
great benefit of your service over the past 31 years, I thank you.
For me personally, I have had the benefit of your friendship and
there is nothing more valuable than that. Thank you.
Mr. Morrow: What can I say, Maureen? Thank you so much.
Mr. Wilshaw: We really do have an all star cast of folks in our audience. We
have now President McIntyre, a former Planning Commissioner
and now President of the City Council.
President Kathleen McIntyre: Thank you, Mr. Vice President. It was a long time,
over 35 years ago, I think, when I first met, I'm not going to say
your better half, but your other half, your beautiful late wife, Adele.
She was my 10th grade speech teacher and English teacher. She
was just a remarkable lady as you know and everyone who knew
her knew her to be that. Little did I know that 30 years later, I
would have the great pleasure and privilege of getting to know her
husband, first as a friend and someone that knew everything
about the City, always had a kind word for everyone and was
everywhere in this city always doing something for the betterment
of it. Then eventually I had the pleasure of serving under you on
the Planning Commission. It was certainly an experience that was
instrumental in helping me get to where I am today, but like
Maureen said, the thing that will stick with me that I'm most
grateful for is your friendship. Thirty one years. I never had
known what the R stood for, but I assume that it stands for
Remarkable. So thank you very much.
Mr. Morrow: Thank you.
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27505
Mayor Engebretson: Mr. Chairman, sorry to appear twice, but we have three of
our esteemed, and I really mean that, esteemed Council
members with us this evening and I think that we all feel the same
way. I'm not going to repeat my comments from earlier. We didn't
know they were going to be here. So Mayor Wright, Mayor
Kirksey and I spoke at the beginning of the meeting, so I'm hoping
that the Council members will rack up the replay of this on
YouTube and check out our remarks. We all feel the same way.
Friend, public servant, great community leader, Lee Morrow.
Good luck, Lee. Thank you.
Mr. Morrow: Thank you, Jack. Thank you folks so much for coming out tonight
for this Commission meeting and my bidding adieu. It means a lot
to me, more than you probably know. Not only have I built up all
these friendships, but when I first got involved years and years
ago when I lived in Burton Hollow and they asked me to run for
Vice President of the Civic Association, my first impulse was to
say no. Then I thought, well, you know, the worst thing that can
happen, I'll meet my neighbors and make new friends. So that
was kind of the genesis of where I began to get involved in a civic
sense. That's the history of where I started, and tonight, I'm not
walking away from other duties I may have in the city but this
ends the chapter as far as the Planning Commission. Again,
thank you so much for taking your time to come here. We'll be
seeing each other as we move throughout this great city we call
Livonia. Thank you.
Mr. Taylor: I chime in on everything that has been said, but Lee has been
such a close friend of mine and he drives me to the meetings. Not
only that, but most people don't know that he picks up the packet
on a Monday morning and drives to my house and we sit down
and have a cup of coffee and talk, not only about Livonia, but
about friendship. He's certainly been a wonderful friend and I
don't know how long I can hang on without him next to me, but I
know that also we have breakfast once in a while at the Senate
with a group that talks about the problems they have and the old
ages that we're getting. But Lee is going to be terribly missed
because he's done such a great job on the Planning Commission.
I've known him for so many years now and I keep saying 100
years. It seems that way. He's going to be sorely missed but he
still can come over to my house and have a cup of coffee
whenever he wants in the morning, and we can chat. So good
luck, Lee.
Mr. Morrow: Thank you, Joe. I do call him up before I leave and say, is Java
Joe's open?
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Mr. Taylor: And once in a while I give him a cookie.
Mr. Morrow: Yes, if Wanda decides to do a little baking or he was out
shopping. Thank you, Joe. Again, the remarks are very much
appreciated, not only the remarks but our friendship. We have
grown close through the years.
Mr. Taormina: Apparently I've known Lee now for probably 50 plus years. I didn't
know that my father was friends with Lee back in the day, and I
was probably running around at times when they were on the
courts playing various activities, volleyball I think and some other
things. Lee tells me some of those stories and I'm going to miss
his coming in every Monday just about when he picks up his
packet and stops in my office and converses, not only about the
agenda items but a lot of other things affecting Livonia and also
just our friendship. But you said earlier, Lee, that all things do
come to an end, but not in the sense of what you've imparted to
me along the way. I have a great deal of respect for the insight
and knowledge that you have about the city and conducting
business and the respect that you've shown each and every
person that has come before this body is really unmatched, and I
really appreciate that.
Mr. Morrow: Well, Mark, I do remember that skinny little kid running around the
Burton Hollow swim club and never did I think that he would one
day become the Planning Director. I might add a very
professional, knowledgeable one. You can't find the bottom he
carries so much information. Since rejoining the Commission
under Mark, he's certainly been a great help to me in doing this
role. So Mark, I certainly appreciate your remarks, but I turn them
back towards you because I highly respect you, and you do a
fantastic job for the city.
Mr. Wilshaw: And he's still a skinny little kid. He keeps himself in good shape.
Lee, I just want to make a couple comments myself. You've had a
very distinguished career serving the City of Livonia and its
residents. I don't have a complete list of all the things that you've
done, but I know the Zoning Board of Appeals and of course the
Planning Commission. You've been on the Board of Review and
Hearts of Livonia. Many, many different contributions to the city
just beyond the Planning Commission itself. But like Mark said,
you bring a tremendous history and a lot of knowledge to our
meetings. You understand many things have happened
throughout the city really since its prime heyday early on in its
development. Obviously 31 years spans a tremendous time. Not
many of us can say that they were involved in the building of a
mall to see it then enclosed, to see it demolished and then
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redeveloped into a lifestyle shopping center or many other things
that you've seen through that time period, but particularly, that
history will be missed. In 2009 you moved from being a
Commissioner to serving as the Chairman and maintaining that
role as Chairman since 2009 over the last seven years, you've
been running these meetings in a very respectful way with your
easy going demeanor that you have. You always know that the
citizens come first in this city. You always make sure that they
have an opportunity to speak on each item fully as much as they
need to say for each item, and you also keep our meetings
running in an efficient manner with your signature reserved wit
that you have. While you may have handed this gavel over to me
for this meeting, you're not going to leave without one. The
Planning Department staff and the Commission went back in the
records. They had to go back to, they said it was stone slates I
think to find out exactly when you started, but they came up with
the idea of 31 years of collective service that you've had with the
city and as part of that, as a token of our appreciation from both
the Planning Commission, the Planning Staff, Carol Smiley who
couldn't be here, we'd like to present you with your own gavel.
Mr. Morrow: Oh, my goodness. This is totally unexpected.
Mr. Wilshaw: There you go. This is your gavel. It's been engraved for 31 years
of service to the Planning Commission.
Mr. Morrow: Thank you so very, very much.
Mr. Wilshaw: You're welcome. We hope that when you look at your bookshelf
and see that, that it reminds you of the commitment that you
made to the community and especially for the city in your role as
the Planning Commission Chairman.
Mr. Morrow: Ian, It's not a well-guarded secret that I value my Vice Chairman
because, of course, Joe and I were old friends and he knows
probably more about the city that I do. But I'll tell you, you've been
a real benefit to me as Chairman because I could always count on
Ian to handle maybe some of the tougher things we had to do but
had to be done. He handled it in a very smooth, professional way
to perhaps sometime let the petitioners down, but I humbly accept
this from the commission. I will certainly value it; cherish it and it
will have a prominent place somewhere in my home. I want to
thank you and the Commission for your thoughtfulness. Not much
more I can say, and of course, you know now that we're having
the turnover when we lost two commissioners, Kathleen and
Scott. We were very fortunate to have two high caliber
appointments, Glen Long and Peter Venture, whom I've known for
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27508
years. Very, very good additions to the Planning Commission. So
the future is bright for the Planning Commission. I understand we
have another Commissioner coming on, Betsy McCue. I know
Betsy from way back when they opened a Franklin Bank up on
Haggerty Road. I saw her early in her career, kind of lost track of
her through the years, but I knew she served on the Zoning Board
of Appeals and the Plymouth Road Development Authority. So
another strong individual is coming so I'll tell you, the Planning
Commission is in good shape, and we can thank the Mayors for
that. With that, again, thanks to everybody coming out and I
really, really appreciate it. I have to tell you one story. You heard
Bob Bishop mentioned earlier on through Maureen, and
apparently when they decided they were going to cable the
Council, Bob Bishop said, well, let's do it to the City Planning
Commission, which they subsequently did. So the big night came
and we were on TV which was the next to last time I watched it.
So I went home to my wife who is sitting in bed reading a book
and I was all excited. I said, well, what did you think? And she
said, that was the most boring thing I have ever seen. Well, I
immediately cancelled my trip to Hollywood figuring that
Hollywood or TV wasn't in my life. I'm not going to tell you the
second half to the story; maybe some time in private I will, but I'll
let it go at that. But thanks for allowing me to make those
comments. If we got a giggle out of you, that's a good note to end
on. So thanks, again. Margie, it's been a pleasure; you've done
such a good job. I can only say, the volume that department puts
out, you're very fortunate to have all that support, Mark. But the
good news is that I'm getting out of here before I get my tablet
because everything is going to be put on the computer. Anyways,
good night folks, and thanks again for coming out. Did we have a
motion to adjourn yet?
Mr. Wilshaw: If you would like to offer a motion to adjourn, I would certainly
entertain that.
On a motion duly made, seconded and unanimously adopted, the 1,084th Public
Hearings and Regular Meeting held on March 15, 2016, was adjourned at 8:36
p.m.
CITY PLANNING COMMISSION
Glen W. Long, Acung Secretary
ATTEST:
Ian Wilshaw, Ac ing Chairman