HomeMy WebLinkAboutPublic Hearing 2-12-2020 - Pet. 2019-12-01-07 - Unleashed Petcare
CITY OF LIVONIA
PUBLIC HEARING
Minutes of Meeting Held on Wednesday, February 12, 2020
______________________________________________________________________
A Public Hearing of the Council of the City of Livonia was held at the City Hall
Auditorium on Wednesday, February 12, 2020.
MEMBERS PRESENT: Kathleen McIntyre, President (arrived at 7:03 p.m.)
Scott Bahr, Vice President
Rob Donovic
Jim Jolly
Brandon McCullough
Laura M. Toy
Cathy K. White
MEMBERS ABSENT: None
OTHERS PRESENT: Mark Taormina, Director of Economic Development
Paul Bernier, City Attorney
Sara Kasprowicz, Recording Secretary
The Public Hearing was called to order at 7:01 p.m. with Vice President Scott Bahr
presiding. This is a Public Hearing relative to Petition 2019-12-01-07 submitted by
Unleashed Pet Care Real Estate L.L.C., requesting to rezone the property located on
the east side of Middlebelt Road between Joy Road and West Chicago Avenue (9300
Middlebelt Road) in the Southwest ¼ of Section 36 from OS (Office Services) to C-1
(Local Business). This will be heard at the Regular Council Meeting of March 11, 2020.
The Public Hearing is now open. There were 5 people in the audience.
Bahr: With that, Mr. Taormina, if you want to give us your spiel?
Taormina: Thank you. Again, this is a rezoning petition involving property located on
Middlebelt Road. It is on the East side of Middlebelt, it’s between Joy
Road and West Chicago and it’s the former site of the Turowski Funeral
Home. This property sits on approximately ¾ of an acre. It is 230 feet of
frontage on Middlebelt Road and approximately 140 feet of frontage along
the side street; Hathaway. There’s a building on the site that measures
roughly 4,700 square feet in gross floor area. As you can see from this
aerial photograph, there’s parking on the North, East and South sides of
the building. The purpose of the rezoning is to enable the redevelopment
of this site as a veterinary clinic. The Petitioners this evening have a
contract to purchase the property. If successful in rezoning, they intend to
2
file waiver use application for the development of the veterinary clinic.
They will reuse the existing building for that purpose. The OS classification
which this is currently zoned as, does not allow veterinary clinics. The C-1
zoning, which they propose, will allow that subject to waiver use approval.
In terms of parking, there is more than enough parking to satisfy the needs
of the veterinary clinic. There are 53 spaces onsite. As we currently
estimate, there is only 22 spaces needed to support the proposed clinic.
Future land use plan shows this site as Corridor Commercial, so it is fully
aligned with the Livonia Vision 21. Planning Commission held a public
hearing on this item and is fully supporting the rezoning to C-1 (Public
Business). Thank you.
Bahr: Thank you. Are there any questions for the Planning Director?
White: Mr. Chair.
Bahr: Councilwoman Toy first, then White.
Toy: If I may, Mr. Chair, Mr. Taormina, on this facility, are they, I’m trying to
remember, are they allowed to keep pets overnight?
Taormina: They could if there was a licensed veterinarian on staff during the hours
that the pets are there. That question was asked during the Planning
Commission hearing and I believe they don’t have any intention of
boarding animals or having them stay overnight. If they do under an
emergency case, they would have somebody there to watch the pet. So,
I’ll let them explain the entirety.
Toy: I have another question for you, if I may. Outdoor, where they’re going to
walk the animals, you know, I don’t expect cats, but perhaps dogs, you
know. Is there space dedicated to that as well?
Taormina: There is not currently space, well there is ample room on the site for that,
there’s no areas that are improved for that purpose, meaning that it will
contain grass. They have every intention of providing an area somewhere
around the site, in fact, that is something they discussed with the Planning
Commission. They have some conceptual plans on what that would look
like. Again, that is something that will be reviewed in greater detail and
settled before Planning Commission for waiver use of approval.
Toy: Right. Right. I always like to get some of that up front. I realize that
sometimes that doesn’t really….
Taormina: They just brought in a conceptual project, so if you want to pass this out.
Toy: Perfect, thank you Mr. Chairman.
3
Bahr: Yeah, Councilwoman White?
White: I had the same question about boarding, so my question has been
answered, thank you.
Bahr: Any other questions for the Planning Director? Yes, Councilman Donovic?
Donovic: Is there a specific ordinance on what kind of animals they can and cannot
have? Are there restrictions? Can they only have certain kinds of animals
there?
Taormina: Not that I’m aware of.
Bahr: Ok, anybody else? All right, with that, we’ll go to the audience. If anyone
has any comments you want to make or any questions. Is the Petitioner
here?
Nugent: Good Evening, my name is Dr. Kari Nugent. I’ve been a Veterinarian for
the past 15 years, I own Unleashed Pet Care currently at 8645 N.
Middlebelt. To answer your questions, we are not going to board at the
facility. There may be an occasion where a pet needs to be held overnight.
Typically, that is not an ideal situation, we would prefer they be transferred
to an appropriate 24-hour facility. However, if that’s not possible,
appropriate veterinary staff will be on site at all times, if there is an animal
kept in the building. We do plan to have ample running space available so
that clients can walk their dogs for elimination purposes. After the last
meeting with the Planning Commission, we had to revise some of the
areas for green space to kind of open it up to not only be more
aesthetically pleasing, but also to offer more room for people to walk their
animals, keep them off of neighborhood lawns. As far as animal
restrictions, I’m a small animal Veterinarian, so realistically, we are talking
about dogs and cats and pocket pets, predominantly.
Jolly: Mr. Chair?
Bahr: Yes, Mr. Jolly?
Jolly: I’d like to offer an approving at this time.
Bahr: Yes, Councilwoman Toy?
Toy: Thank you. Yes, to the doctor, if I may? Doctor, on this special design, it
looks like some of the green space would go over where some of the
parking was.
4
Nugent: Correct.
Toy: I didn’t count the all, but it seems like there is quite a few. You still feel
comfortable, and with the City as well, the amount of spaces you do still
have left, correct?
Nugent: Yes, absolutely. In terms of the volume of our practice, realistically, we will
probably only be at a 2 and a half doctor practice, so we should have
ample room for parking. We did also talk with the Fire Marshall regarding
utilizing that thoroughfare as green space and he did give preliminary
approval that it was going to be satisfactory.
Toy: How long did you say you have been in business, 15 years?
Nugent: I have been a Veterinarian for 15 years. Unleashed Pet Care, I’ve owned
that practice for 13 years, technically. We’ve been at the present location
for 10.
Toy: Where is that at, is that in Westland?
Nugent: It is in Westland, so it is literally on the other side of Joy Road at 8645
Middlebelt.
Toy: Well great, I know that Councilman Jolly has offered an approving and
much success to you if you get the help.
Bahr: Thank you, Councilwoman Toy, you did it for me. I was going to apologize
for not formally acknowledging Councilman Jolly’s approving resolution, so
thank you for that. Any other questions?
McCullough: Yes, just one question, and I see it in the notes, but the sound abatement.
I’m very familiar with the property, I used to play street hockey there as a
child, but I do have some people that I know that actually butt adjacent to
the property. The sound abatement, I’m assuming, that the way you are
laying it out with the area where you would have cages be closer to the
back of it?
Nugent: No, we are working with an architect to specifically place the kennel area
more on the interior of the building, so that you have a little bit more
insulation. The sound, we are going to use sound eliminating insulation on
the exterior walls as well as an acoustic ceiling to, again, help minimize.
Realistically, as far as the aspect of barking. Without boarding, really, it’s
minimal. We have been, the current location is directly adjacent to a
residential area and we’ve never had any complaints or any issues with
barking. We do currently board and even in that situation we haven’t really
had any trouble with sound. We have also toyed with the idea of some
5
arboretums or some type of foliage at the back wall of the proposed green
space to also help to muffle any sound.
McCullough: That wall is a concrete wall, 5 feet or so. I think its great that you would be
looking at this building for your business and I wish you success. Thank
you.
Bahr: Councilwoman White?
White: For Kari, the Petitioner, could you tell us your hours of operation and days
that you’ll be open?
Nugent: We’re open Monday through Friday currently. Monday has, Friday we’re
open from 9am to 6pm. Tuesday as well, from 9am to 6pm. Wednesdays
currently are 9am to 2pm and then Thursdays from 9am to 8pm. As we
have more staffing, we will probably extend our hours a bit. We never
intend to be open on the weekend realistically, for the quality of life of all of
our staff, but we probably will extend hour to 8pm on several of the
weekdays.
White: Ok, thank you very much.
Bahr: Yes, Council President McIntyre?
McIntyre: So, now that the Standard Poodle won Westminster, do you expect to get
a lot of calls for people who want to get a Standard Poodle?
Nugent: Unfortunately, I think there’s going to be a lot of Doodles. The Doodle
trend is probably going to remain pretty strong.
McIntyre: And you’re not a fan of the Doodle trend?
Nugent: Doodles are great, they’re great, but there’s a lot of Doodles.
McIntyre: There are. In all seriousness, I just want to say I’m very glad. We always
want to see business that is no longer being used for its original purpose
being reused and very happy to be gaining a great vet practice that is
currently in other cities. I’m happy for you.
Nugent: Thank you.
Bahr: I do have one remaining question and maybe one of us have said it
already, I apologize. What is your primary reason for, you’re not moving
very far, what’s the reason you’re moving?
6
Nugent: We have run out of space, to be quite honest. We are leasing the building.
It is a very old building, unfortunately, it needs a lot of renovations. It
needs a complete overhaul. We’re currently functioning with two exam
rooms, so really, we have exceeded our capacity in that building, so we
need to expand in it, as well as being able to, just modernize the facility a
bit.
Toy: Just real quick. Doctor, where do you send your emergency cases, so if I
call you and my dogs have a problem, where do you send people?
Nugent: There are several. Typically, we send to Animal Emergency Center in
Novi. VS West or Oakland Veterinarian Referral Services typically.
Toy: Appreciate it, thank you very much. Thank you.
Bahr: All right, if there aren’t any further questions, we’ve got an approving
resolution from Councilman Jolly and the next Regular Meeting date for
th
this item will be on March 11. I’m sorry, thank you, are there any other
comments in the audience? Ok, the next Regular Meeting for tonight’s
item will be March 11, 2020. You or a representative should plan to be at
that meeting and actually, it will be an opportunity, it’s televised, so, if you
wish, it would be an opportunity to come and talk about your business
th
once again. March 11 it will be on the agenda, with that, I think we can
close the Public Hearing, we’re all set, thanks.
As there were no further questions or comments, the Public Hearing was declared
closed at 7:13 p.m.
CITY OF LIVONIA
PUBLIC HEARING
Minutes of Meeting Held on Wednesday, February 12, 2020
______________________________________________________________________
A Public Hearing of the Council of the City of Livonia was held at the City Hall
Auditorium on Wednesday, February 12, 2020.
MEMBERS PRESENT: Kathleen McIntyre, President (arrived at 7:03 p.m.)
Scott Bahr, Vice President
Rob Donovic
Jim Jolly
Brandon McCullough
Laura M. Toy
Cathy K. White
MEMBERS ABSENT: None
OTHERS PRESENT: Mark Taormina, Director of Economic Development
Paul Bernier, City Attorney
Sara Kasprowicz, Recording Secretary
The Public Hearing was called to order at 7:01 p.m. with Vice President Scott Bahr
presiding. This is a Public Hearing relative to Petition 2019-12-01-07 submitted by
Unleashed Pet Care Real Estate L.L.C., requesting to rezone the property located on
the east side of Middlebelt Road between Joy Road and West Chicago Avenue (9300
Middlebelt Road) in the Southwest ¼ of Section 36 from OS (Office Services) to C-1
(Local Business). This will be heard at the Regular Council Meeting of March 11, 2020.
The Public Hearing is now open. There were 5 people in the audience.
Bahr: With that, Mr. Taormina, if you want to give us your spiel?
Taormina: Thank you. Again, this is a rezoning petition involving property located on
Middlebelt Road. It is on the East side of Middlebelt, it’s between Joy
Road and West Chicago and it’s the former site of the Turowski Funeral
Home. This property sits on approximately ¾ of an acre. It is 230 feet of
frontage on Middlebelt Road and approximately 140 feet of frontage along
the side street; Hathaway. There’s a building on the site that measures
roughly 4,700 square feet in gross floor area. As you can see from this
aerial photograph, there’s parking on the North, East and South sides of
the building. The purpose of the rezoning is to enable the redevelopment
of this site as a veterinary clinic. The Petitioners this evening have a
contract to purchase the property. If successful in rezoning, they intend to
2
file waiver use application for the development of the veterinary clinic.
They will reuse the existing building for that purpose. The OS classification
which this is currently zoned as, does not allow veterinary clinics. The C-1
zoning, which they propose, will allow that subject to waiver use approval.
In terms of parking, there is more than enough parking to satisfy the needs
of the veterinary clinic. There are 53 spaces onsite. As we currently
estimate, there is only 22 spaces needed to support the proposed clinic.
Future land use plan shows this site as Corridor Commercial, so it is fully
aligned with the Livonia Vision 21. Planning Commission held a public
hearing on this item and is fully supporting the rezoning to C-1 (Public
Business). Thank you.
Bahr: Thank you. Are there any questions for the Planning Director?
White: Mr. Chair.
Bahr: Councilwoman Toy first, then White.
Toy: If I may, Mr. Chair, Mr. Taormina, on this facility, are they, I’m trying to
remember, are they allowed to keep pets overnight?
Taormina: They could if there was a licensed veterinarian on staff during the hours
that the pets are there. That question was asked during the Planning
Commission hearing and I believe they don’t have any intention of
boarding animals or having them stay overnight. If they do under an
emergency case, they would have somebody there to watch the pet. So,
I’ll let them explain the entirety.
Toy: I have another question for you, if I may. Outdoor, where they’re going to
walk the animals, you know, I don’t expect cats, but perhaps dogs, you
know. Is there space dedicated to that as well?
Taormina: There is not currently space, well there is ample room on the site for that,
there’s no areas that are improved for that purpose, meaning that it will
contain grass. They have every intention of providing an area somewhere
around the site, in fact, that is something they discussed with the Planning
Commission. They have some conceptual plans on what that would look
like. Again, that is something that will be reviewed in greater detail and
settled before Planning Commission for waiver use of approval.
Toy: Right. Right. I always like to get some of that up front. I realize that
sometimes that doesn’t really….
Taormina: They just brought in a conceptual project, so if you want to pass this out.
Toy: Perfect, thank you Mr. Chairman.
3
Bahr: Yeah, Councilwoman White?
White: I had the same question about boarding, so my question has been
answered, thank you.
Bahr: Any other questions for the Planning Director? Yes, Councilman Donovic?
Donovic: Is there a specific ordinance on what kind of animals they can and cannot
have? Are there restrictions? Can they only have certain kinds of animals
there?
Taormina: Not that I’m aware of.
Bahr: Ok, anybody else? All right, with that, we’ll go to the audience. If anyone
has any comments you want to make or any questions. Is the Petitioner
here?
Nugent: Good Evening, my name is Dr. Kari Nugent. I’ve been a Veterinarian for
the past 15 years, I own Unleashed Pet Care currently at 8645 N.
Middlebelt. To answer your questions, we are not going to board at the
facility. There may be an occasion where a pet needs to be held overnight.
Typically, that is not an ideal situation, we would prefer they be transferred
to an appropriate 24-hour facility. However, if that’s not possible,
appropriate veterinary staff will be on site at all times, if there is an animal
kept in the building. We do plan to have ample running space available so
that clients can walk their dogs for elimination purposes. After the last
meeting with the Planning Commission, we had to revise some of the
areas for green space to kind of open it up to not only be more
aesthetically pleasing, but also to offer more room for people to walk their
animals, keep them off of neighborhood lawns. As far as animal
restrictions, I’m a small animal Veterinarian, so realistically, we are talking
about dogs and cats and pocket pets, predominantly.
Jolly: Mr. Chair?
Bahr: Yes, Mr. Jolly?
Jolly: I’d like to offer an approving at this time.
Bahr: Yes, Councilwoman Toy?
Toy: Thank you. Yes, to the doctor, if I may? Doctor, on this special design, it
looks like some of the green space would go over where some of the
parking was.
4
Nugent: Correct.
Toy: I didn’t count the all, but it seems like there is quite a few. You still feel
comfortable, and with the City as well, the amount of spaces you do still
have left, correct?
Nugent: Yes, absolutely. In terms of the volume of our practice, realistically, we will
probably only be at a 2 and a half doctor practice, so we should have
ample room for parking. We did also talk with the Fire Marshall regarding
utilizing that thoroughfare as green space and he did give preliminary
approval that it was going to be satisfactory.
Toy: How long did you say you have been in business, 15 years?
Nugent: I have been a Veterinarian for 15 years. Unleashed Pet Care, I’ve owned
that practice for 13 years, technically. We’ve been at the present location
for 10.
Toy: Where is that at, is that in Westland?
Nugent: It is in Westland, so it is literally on the other side of Joy Road at 8645
Middlebelt.
Toy: Well great, I know that Councilman Jolly has offered an approving and
much success to you if you get the help.
Bahr: Thank you, Councilwoman Toy, you did it for me. I was going to apologize
for not formally acknowledging Councilman Jolly’s approving resolution, so
thank you for that. Any other questions?
McCullough: Yes, just one question, and I see it in the notes, but the sound abatement.
I’m very familiar with the property, I used to play street hockey there as a
child, but I do have some people that I know that actually butt adjacent to
the property. The sound abatement, I’m assuming, that the way you are
laying it out with the area where you would have cages be closer to the
back of it?
Nugent: No, we are working with an architect to specifically place the kennel area
more on the interior of the building, so that you have a little bit more
insulation. The sound, we are going to use sound eliminating insulation on
the exterior walls as well as an acoustic ceiling to, again, help minimize.
Realistically, as far as the aspect of barking. Without boarding, really, it’s
minimal. We have been, the current location is directly adjacent to a
residential area and we’ve never had any complaints or any issues with
barking. We do currently board and even in that situation we haven’t really
had any trouble with sound. We have also toyed with the idea of some
5
arboretums or some type of foliage at the back wall of the proposed green
space to also help to muffle any sound.
McCullough: That wall is a concrete wall, 5 feet or so. I think its great that you would be
looking at this building for your business and I wish you success. Thank
you.
Bahr: Councilwoman White?
White: For Kari, the Petitioner, could you tell us your hours of operation and days
that you’ll be open?
Nugent: We’re open Monday through Friday currently. Monday has, Friday we’re
open from 9am to 6pm. Tuesday as well, from 9am to 6pm. Wednesdays
currently are 9am to 2pm and then Thursdays from 9am to 8pm. As we
have more staffing, we will probably extend our hours a bit. We never
intend to be open on the weekend realistically, for the quality of life of all of
our staff, but we probably will extend hour to 8pm on several of the
weekdays.
White: Ok, thank you very much.
Bahr: Yes, Council President McIntyre?
McIntyre: So, now that the Standard Poodle won Westminster, do you expect to get
a lot of calls for people who want to get a Standard Poodle?
Nugent: Unfortunately, I think there’s going to be a lot of Doodles. The Doodle
trend is probably going to remain pretty strong.
McIntyre: And you’re not a fan of the Doodle trend?
Nugent: Doodles are great, they’re great, but there’s a lot of Doodles.
McIntyre: There are. In all seriousness, I just want to say I’m very glad. We always
want to see business that is no longer being used for its original purpose
being reused and very happy to be gaining a great vet practice that is
currently in other cities. I’m happy for you.
Nugent: Thank you.
Bahr: I do have one remaining question and maybe one of us have said it
already, I apologize. What is your primary reason for, you’re not moving
very far, what’s the reason you’re moving?
6
Nugent: We have run out of space, to be quite honest. We are leasing the building.
It is a very old building, unfortunately, it needs a lot of renovations. It
needs a complete overhaul. We’re currently functioning with two exam
rooms, so really, we have exceeded our capacity in that building, so we
need to expand in it, as well as being able to, just modernize the facility a
bit.
Toy: Just real quick. Doctor, where do you send your emergency cases, so if I
call you and my dogs have a problem, where do you send people?
Nugent: There are several. Typically, we send to Animal Emergency Center in
Novi. VS West or Oakland Veterinarian Referral Services typically.
Toy: Appreciate it, thank you very much. Thank you.
Bahr: All right, if there aren’t any further questions, we’ve got an approving
resolution from Councilman Jolly and the next Regular Meeting date for
th
this item will be on March 11. I’m sorry, thank you, are there any other
comments in the audience? Ok, the next Regular Meeting for tonight’s
item will be March 11, 2020. You or a representative should plan to be at
that meeting and actually, it will be an opportunity, it’s televised, so, if you
wish, it would be an opportunity to come and talk about your business
th
once again. March 11 it will be on the agenda, with that, I think we can
close the Public Hearing, we’re all set, thanks.
As there were no further questions or comments, the Public Hearing was declared
closed at 7:13 p.m.
CITY OF LIVONIA
PUBLIC HEARING
Minutes of Meeting Held on Wednesday, February 12, 2020
______________________________________________________________________
A Public Hearing of the Council of the City of Livonia was held at the City Hall
Auditorium on Wednesday, February 12, 2020.
MEMBERS PRESENT: Kathleen McIntyre, President (arrived at 7:03 p.m.)
Scott Bahr, Vice President
Rob Donovic
Jim Jolly
Brandon McCullough
Laura M. Toy
Cathy K. White
MEMBERS ABSENT: None
OTHERS PRESENT: Mark Taormina, Director of Economic Development
Paul Bernier, City Attorney
Sara Kasprowicz, Recording Secretary
The Public Hearing was called to order at 7:01 p.m. with Vice President Scott Bahr
presiding. This is a Public Hearing relative to Petition 2019-12-01-07 submitted by
Unleashed Pet Care Real Estate L.L.C., requesting to rezone the property located on
the east side of Middlebelt Road between Joy Road and West Chicago Avenue (9300
Middlebelt Road) in the Southwest ¼ of Section 36 from OS (Office Services) to C-1
(Local Business). This will be heard at the Regular Council Meeting of March 11, 2020.
The Public Hearing is now open. There were 5 people in the audience.
Bahr: With that, Mr. Taormina, if you want to give us your spiel?
Taormina: Thank you. Again, this is a rezoning petition involving property located on
Middlebelt Road. It is on the East side of Middlebelt, it’s between Joy
Road and West Chicago and it’s the former site of the Turowski Funeral
Home. This property sits on approximately ¾ of an acre. It is 230 feet of
frontage on Middlebelt Road and approximately 140 feet of frontage along
the side street; Hathaway. There’s a building on the site that measures
roughly 4,700 square feet in gross floor area. As you can see from this
aerial photograph, there’s parking on the North, East and South sides of
the building. The purpose of the rezoning is to enable the redevelopment
of this site as a veterinary clinic. The Petitioners this evening have a
contract to purchase the property. If successful in rezoning, they intend to
2
file waiver use application for the development of the veterinary clinic.
They will reuse the existing building for that purpose. The OS classification
which this is currently zoned as, does not allow veterinary clinics. The C-1
zoning, which they propose, will allow that subject to waiver use approval.
In terms of parking, there is more than enough parking to satisfy the needs
of the veterinary clinic. There are 53 spaces onsite. As we currently
estimate, there is only 22 spaces needed to support the proposed clinic.
Future land use plan shows this site as Corridor Commercial, so it is fully
aligned with the Livonia Vision 21. Planning Commission held a public
hearing on this item and is fully supporting the rezoning to C-1 (Public
Business). Thank you.
Bahr: Thank you. Are there any questions for the Planning Director?
White: Mr. Chair.
Bahr: Councilwoman Toy first, then White.
Toy: If I may, Mr. Chair, Mr. Taormina, on this facility, are they, I’m trying to
remember, are they allowed to keep pets overnight?
Taormina: They could if there was a licensed veterinarian on staff during the hours
that the pets are there. That question was asked during the Planning
Commission hearing and I believe they don’t have any intention of
boarding animals or having them stay overnight. If they do under an
emergency case, they would have somebody there to watch the pet. So,
I’ll let them explain the entirety.
Toy: I have another question for you, if I may. Outdoor, where they’re going to
walk the animals, you know, I don’t expect cats, but perhaps dogs, you
know. Is there space dedicated to that as well?
Taormina: There is not currently space, well there is ample room on the site for that,
there’s no areas that are improved for that purpose, meaning that it will
contain grass. They have every intention of providing an area somewhere
around the site, in fact, that is something they discussed with the Planning
Commission. They have some conceptual plans on what that would look
like. Again, that is something that will be reviewed in greater detail and
settled before Planning Commission for waiver use of approval.
Toy: Right. Right. I always like to get some of that up front. I realize that
sometimes that doesn’t really….
Taormina: They just brought in a conceptual project, so if you want to pass this out.
Toy: Perfect, thank you Mr. Chairman.
3
Bahr: Yeah, Councilwoman White?
White: I had the same question about boarding, so my question has been
answered, thank you.
Bahr: Any other questions for the Planning Director? Yes, Councilman Donovic?
Donovic: Is there a specific ordinance on what kind of animals they can and cannot
have? Are there restrictions? Can they only have certain kinds of animals
there?
Taormina: Not that I’m aware of.
Bahr: Ok, anybody else? All right, with that, we’ll go to the audience. If anyone
has any comments you want to make or any questions. Is the Petitioner
here?
Nugent: Good Evening, my name is Dr. Kari Nugent. I’ve been a Veterinarian for
the past 15 years, I own Unleashed Pet Care currently at 8645 N.
Middlebelt. To answer your questions, we are not going to board at the
facility. There may be an occasion where a pet needs to be held overnight.
Typically, that is not an ideal situation, we would prefer they be transferred
to an appropriate 24-hour facility. However, if that’s not possible,
appropriate veterinary staff will be on site at all times, if there is an animal
kept in the building. We do plan to have ample running space available so
that clients can walk their dogs for elimination purposes. After the last
meeting with the Planning Commission, we had to revise some of the
areas for green space to kind of open it up to not only be more
aesthetically pleasing, but also to offer more room for people to walk their
animals, keep them off of neighborhood lawns. As far as animal
restrictions, I’m a small animal Veterinarian, so realistically, we are talking
about dogs and cats and pocket pets, predominantly.
Jolly: Mr. Chair?
Bahr: Yes, Mr. Jolly?
Jolly: I’d like to offer an approving at this time.
Bahr: Yes, Councilwoman Toy?
Toy: Thank you. Yes, to the doctor, if I may? Doctor, on this special design, it
looks like some of the green space would go over where some of the
parking was.
4
Nugent: Correct.
Toy: I didn’t count the all, but it seems like there is quite a few. You still feel
comfortable, and with the City as well, the amount of spaces you do still
have left, correct?
Nugent: Yes, absolutely. In terms of the volume of our practice, realistically, we will
probably only be at a 2 and a half doctor practice, so we should have
ample room for parking. We did also talk with the Fire Marshall regarding
utilizing that thoroughfare as green space and he did give preliminary
approval that it was going to be satisfactory.
Toy: How long did you say you have been in business, 15 years?
Nugent: I have been a Veterinarian for 15 years. Unleashed Pet Care, I’ve owned
that practice for 13 years, technically. We’ve been at the present location
for 10.
Toy: Where is that at, is that in Westland?
Nugent: It is in Westland, so it is literally on the other side of Joy Road at 8645
Middlebelt.
Toy: Well great, I know that Councilman Jolly has offered an approving and
much success to you if you get the help.
Bahr: Thank you, Councilwoman Toy, you did it for me. I was going to apologize
for not formally acknowledging Councilman Jolly’s approving resolution, so
thank you for that. Any other questions?
McCullough: Yes, just one question, and I see it in the notes, but the sound abatement.
I’m very familiar with the property, I used to play street hockey there as a
child, but I do have some people that I know that actually butt adjacent to
the property. The sound abatement, I’m assuming, that the way you are
laying it out with the area where you would have cages be closer to the
back of it?
Nugent: No, we are working with an architect to specifically place the kennel area
more on the interior of the building, so that you have a little bit more
insulation. The sound, we are going to use sound eliminating insulation on
the exterior walls as well as an acoustic ceiling to, again, help minimize.
Realistically, as far as the aspect of barking. Without boarding, really, it’s
minimal. We have been, the current location is directly adjacent to a
residential area and we’ve never had any complaints or any issues with
barking. We do currently board and even in that situation we haven’t really
had any trouble with sound. We have also toyed with the idea of some
5
arboretums or some type of foliage at the back wall of the proposed green
space to also help to muffle any sound.
McCullough: That wall is a concrete wall, 5 feet or so. I think its great that you would be
looking at this building for your business and I wish you success. Thank
you.
Bahr: Councilwoman White?
White: For Kari, the Petitioner, could you tell us your hours of operation and days
that you’ll be open?
Nugent: We’re open Monday through Friday currently. Monday has, Friday we’re
open from 9am to 6pm. Tuesday as well, from 9am to 6pm. Wednesdays
currently are 9am to 2pm and then Thursdays from 9am to 8pm. As we
have more staffing, we will probably extend our hours a bit. We never
intend to be open on the weekend realistically, for the quality of life of all of
our staff, but we probably will extend hour to 8pm on several of the
weekdays.
White: Ok, thank you very much.
Bahr: Yes, Council President McIntyre?
McIntyre: So, now that the Standard Poodle won Westminster, do you expect to get
a lot of calls for people who want to get a Standard Poodle?
Nugent: Unfortunately, I think there’s going to be a lot of Doodles. The Doodle
trend is probably going to remain pretty strong.
McIntyre: And you’re not a fan of the Doodle trend?
Nugent: Doodles are great, they’re great, but there’s a lot of Doodles.
McIntyre: There are. In all seriousness, I just want to say I’m very glad. We always
want to see business that is no longer being used for its original purpose
being reused and very happy to be gaining a great vet practice that is
currently in other cities. I’m happy for you.
Nugent: Thank you.
Bahr: I do have one remaining question and maybe one of us have said it
already, I apologize. What is your primary reason for, you’re not moving
very far, what’s the reason you’re moving?
6
Nugent: We have run out of space, to be quite honest. We are leasing the building.
It is a very old building, unfortunately, it needs a lot of renovations. It
needs a complete overhaul. We’re currently functioning with two exam
rooms, so really, we have exceeded our capacity in that building, so we
need to expand in it, as well as being able to, just modernize the facility a
bit.
Toy: Just real quick. Doctor, where do you send your emergency cases, so if I
call you and my dogs have a problem, where do you send people?
Nugent: There are several. Typically, we send to Animal Emergency Center in
Novi. VS West or Oakland Veterinarian Referral Services typically.
Toy: Appreciate it, thank you very much. Thank you.
Bahr: All right, if there aren’t any further questions, we’ve got an approving
resolution from Councilman Jolly and the next Regular Meeting date for
th
this item will be on March 11. I’m sorry, thank you, are there any other
comments in the audience? Ok, the next Regular Meeting for tonight’s
item will be March 11, 2020. You or a representative should plan to be at
that meeting and actually, it will be an opportunity, it’s televised, so, if you
wish, it would be an opportunity to come and talk about your business
th
once again. March 11 it will be on the agenda, with that, I think we can
close the Public Hearing, we’re all set, thanks.
As there were no further questions or comments, the Public Hearing was declared
closed at 7:13 p.m.
CITY OF LIVONIA
PUBLIC HEARING
Minutes of Meeting Held on Wednesday, February 12, 2020
______________________________________________________________________
A Public Hearing of the Council of the City of Livonia was held at the City Hall
Auditorium on Wednesday, February 12, 2020.
MEMBERS PRESENT: Kathleen McIntyre, President (arrived at 7:03 p.m.)
Scott Bahr, Vice President
Rob Donovic
Jim Jolly
Brandon McCullough
Laura M. Toy
Cathy K. White
MEMBERS ABSENT: None
OTHERS PRESENT: Mark Taormina, Director of Economic Development
Paul Bernier, City Attorney
Sara Kasprowicz, Recording Secretary
The Public Hearing was called to order at 7:01 p.m. with Vice President Scott Bahr
presiding. This is a Public Hearing relative to Petition 2019-12-01-07 submitted by
Unleashed Pet Care Real Estate L.L.C., requesting to rezone the property located on
the east side of Middlebelt Road between Joy Road and West Chicago Avenue (9300
Middlebelt Road) in the Southwest ¼ of Section 36 from OS (Office Services) to C-1
(Local Business). This will be heard at the Regular Council Meeting of March 11, 2020.
The Public Hearing is now open. There were 5 people in the audience.
Bahr: With that, Mr. Taormina, if you want to give us your spiel?
Taormina: Thank you. Again, this is a rezoning petition involving property located on
Middlebelt Road. It is on the East side of Middlebelt, it’s between Joy
Road and West Chicago and it’s the former site of the Turowski Funeral
Home. This property sits on approximately ¾ of an acre. It is 230 feet of
frontage on Middlebelt Road and approximately 140 feet of frontage along
the side street; Hathaway. There’s a building on the site that measures
roughly 4,700 square feet in gross floor area. As you can see from this
aerial photograph, there’s parking on the North, East and South sides of
the building. The purpose of the rezoning is to enable the redevelopment
of this site as a veterinary clinic. The Petitioners this evening have a
contract to purchase the property. If successful in rezoning, they intend to
2
file waiver use application for the development of the veterinary clinic.
They will reuse the existing building for that purpose. The OS classification
which this is currently zoned as, does not allow veterinary clinics. The C-1
zoning, which they propose, will allow that subject to waiver use approval.
In terms of parking, there is more than enough parking to satisfy the needs
of the veterinary clinic. There are 53 spaces onsite. As we currently
estimate, there is only 22 spaces needed to support the proposed clinic.
Future land use plan shows this site as Corridor Commercial, so it is fully
aligned with the Livonia Vision 21. Planning Commission held a public
hearing on this item and is fully supporting the rezoning to C-1 (Public
Business). Thank you.
Bahr: Thank you. Are there any questions for the Planning Director?
White: Mr. Chair.
Bahr: Councilwoman Toy first, then White.
Toy: If I may, Mr. Chair, Mr. Taormina, on this facility, are they, I’m trying to
remember, are they allowed to keep pets overnight?
Taormina: They could if there was a licensed veterinarian on staff during the hours
that the pets are there. That question was asked during the Planning
Commission hearing and I believe they don’t have any intention of
boarding animals or having them stay overnight. If they do under an
emergency case, they would have somebody there to watch the pet. So,
I’ll let them explain the entirety.
Toy: I have another question for you, if I may. Outdoor, where they’re going to
walk the animals, you know, I don’t expect cats, but perhaps dogs, you
know. Is there space dedicated to that as well?
Taormina: There is not currently space, well there is ample room on the site for that,
there’s no areas that are improved for that purpose, meaning that it will
contain grass. They have every intention of providing an area somewhere
around the site, in fact, that is something they discussed with the Planning
Commission. They have some conceptual plans on what that would look
like. Again, that is something that will be reviewed in greater detail and
settled before Planning Commission for waiver use of approval.
Toy: Right. Right. I always like to get some of that up front. I realize that
sometimes that doesn’t really….
Taormina: They just brought in a conceptual project, so if you want to pass this out.
Toy: Perfect, thank you Mr. Chairman.
3
Bahr: Yeah, Councilwoman White?
White: I had the same question about boarding, so my question has been
answered, thank you.
Bahr: Any other questions for the Planning Director? Yes, Councilman Donovic?
Donovic: Is there a specific ordinance on what kind of animals they can and cannot
have? Are there restrictions? Can they only have certain kinds of animals
there?
Taormina: Not that I’m aware of.
Bahr: Ok, anybody else? All right, with that, we’ll go to the audience. If anyone
has any comments you want to make or any questions. Is the Petitioner
here?
Nugent: Good Evening, my name is Dr. Kari Nugent. I’ve been a Veterinarian for
the past 15 years, I own Unleashed Pet Care currently at 8645 N.
Middlebelt. To answer your questions, we are not going to board at the
facility. There may be an occasion where a pet needs to be held overnight.
Typically, that is not an ideal situation, we would prefer they be transferred
to an appropriate 24-hour facility. However, if that’s not possible,
appropriate veterinary staff will be on site at all times, if there is an animal
kept in the building. We do plan to have ample running space available so
that clients can walk their dogs for elimination purposes. After the last
meeting with the Planning Commission, we had to revise some of the
areas for green space to kind of open it up to not only be more
aesthetically pleasing, but also to offer more room for people to walk their
animals, keep them off of neighborhood lawns. As far as animal
restrictions, I’m a small animal Veterinarian, so realistically, we are talking
about dogs and cats and pocket pets, predominantly.
Jolly: Mr. Chair?
Bahr: Yes, Mr. Jolly?
Jolly: I’d like to offer an approving at this time.
Bahr: Yes, Councilwoman Toy?
Toy: Thank you. Yes, to the doctor, if I may? Doctor, on this special design, it
looks like some of the green space would go over where some of the
parking was.
4
Nugent: Correct.
Toy: I didn’t count the all, but it seems like there is quite a few. You still feel
comfortable, and with the City as well, the amount of spaces you do still
have left, correct?
Nugent: Yes, absolutely. In terms of the volume of our practice, realistically, we will
probably only be at a 2 and a half doctor practice, so we should have
ample room for parking. We did also talk with the Fire Marshall regarding
utilizing that thoroughfare as green space and he did give preliminary
approval that it was going to be satisfactory.
Toy: How long did you say you have been in business, 15 years?
Nugent: I have been a Veterinarian for 15 years. Unleashed Pet Care, I’ve owned
that practice for 13 years, technically. We’ve been at the present location
for 10.
Toy: Where is that at, is that in Westland?
Nugent: It is in Westland, so it is literally on the other side of Joy Road at 8645
Middlebelt.
Toy: Well great, I know that Councilman Jolly has offered an approving and
much success to you if you get the help.
Bahr: Thank you, Councilwoman Toy, you did it for me. I was going to apologize
for not formally acknowledging Councilman Jolly’s approving resolution, so
thank you for that. Any other questions?
McCullough: Yes, just one question, and I see it in the notes, but the sound abatement.
I’m very familiar with the property, I used to play street hockey there as a
child, but I do have some people that I know that actually butt adjacent to
the property. The sound abatement, I’m assuming, that the way you are
laying it out with the area where you would have cages be closer to the
back of it?
Nugent: No, we are working with an architect to specifically place the kennel area
more on the interior of the building, so that you have a little bit more
insulation. The sound, we are going to use sound eliminating insulation on
the exterior walls as well as an acoustic ceiling to, again, help minimize.
Realistically, as far as the aspect of barking. Without boarding, really, it’s
minimal. We have been, the current location is directly adjacent to a
residential area and we’ve never had any complaints or any issues with
barking. We do currently board and even in that situation we haven’t really
had any trouble with sound. We have also toyed with the idea of some
5
arboretums or some type of foliage at the back wall of the proposed green
space to also help to muffle any sound.
McCullough: That wall is a concrete wall, 5 feet or so. I think its great that you would be
looking at this building for your business and I wish you success. Thank
you.
Bahr: Councilwoman White?
White: For Kari, the Petitioner, could you tell us your hours of operation and days
that you’ll be open?
Nugent: We’re open Monday through Friday currently. Monday has, Friday we’re
open from 9am to 6pm. Tuesday as well, from 9am to 6pm. Wednesdays
currently are 9am to 2pm and then Thursdays from 9am to 8pm. As we
have more staffing, we will probably extend our hours a bit. We never
intend to be open on the weekend realistically, for the quality of life of all of
our staff, but we probably will extend hour to 8pm on several of the
weekdays.
White: Ok, thank you very much.
Bahr: Yes, Council President McIntyre?
McIntyre: So, now that the Standard Poodle won Westminster, do you expect to get
a lot of calls for people who want to get a Standard Poodle?
Nugent: Unfortunately, I think there’s going to be a lot of Doodles. The Doodle
trend is probably going to remain pretty strong.
McIntyre: And you’re not a fan of the Doodle trend?
Nugent: Doodles are great, they’re great, but there’s a lot of Doodles.
McIntyre: There are. In all seriousness, I just want to say I’m very glad. We always
want to see business that is no longer being used for its original purpose
being reused and very happy to be gaining a great vet practice that is
currently in other cities. I’m happy for you.
Nugent: Thank you.
Bahr: I do have one remaining question and maybe one of us have said it
already, I apologize. What is your primary reason for, you’re not moving
very far, what’s the reason you’re moving?
6
Nugent: We have run out of space, to be quite honest. We are leasing the building.
It is a very old building, unfortunately, it needs a lot of renovations. It
needs a complete overhaul. We’re currently functioning with two exam
rooms, so really, we have exceeded our capacity in that building, so we
need to expand in it, as well as being able to, just modernize the facility a
bit.
Toy: Just real quick. Doctor, where do you send your emergency cases, so if I
call you and my dogs have a problem, where do you send people?
Nugent: There are several. Typically, we send to Animal Emergency Center in
Novi. VS West or Oakland Veterinarian Referral Services typically.
Toy: Appreciate it, thank you very much. Thank you.
Bahr: All right, if there aren’t any further questions, we’ve got an approving
resolution from Councilman Jolly and the next Regular Meeting date for
th
this item will be on March 11. I’m sorry, thank you, are there any other
comments in the audience? Ok, the next Regular Meeting for tonight’s
item will be March 11, 2020. You or a representative should plan to be at
that meeting and actually, it will be an opportunity, it’s televised, so, if you
wish, it would be an opportunity to come and talk about your business
th
once again. March 11 it will be on the agenda, with that, I think we can
close the Public Hearing, we’re all set, thanks.
As there were no further questions or comments, the Public Hearing was declared
closed at 7:13 p.m.
CITY OF LIVONIA
PUBLIC HEARING
Minutes of Meeting Held on Wednesday, February 12, 2020
______________________________________________________________________
A Public Hearing of the Council of the City of Livonia was held at the City Hall
Auditorium on Wednesday, February 12, 2020.
MEMBERS PRESENT: Kathleen McIntyre, President (arrived at 7:03 p.m.)
Scott Bahr, Vice President
Rob Donovic
Jim Jolly
Brandon McCullough
Laura M. Toy
Cathy K. White
MEMBERS ABSENT: None
OTHERS PRESENT: Mark Taormina, Director of Economic Development
Paul Bernier, City Attorney
Sara Kasprowicz, Recording Secretary
The Public Hearing was called to order at 7:01 p.m. with Vice President Scott Bahr
presiding. This is a Public Hearing relative to Petition 2019-12-01-07 submitted by
Unleashed Pet Care Real Estate L.L.C., requesting to rezone the property located on
the east side of Middlebelt Road between Joy Road and West Chicago Avenue (9300
Middlebelt Road) in the Southwest ¼ of Section 36 from OS (Office Services) to C-1
(Local Business). This will be heard at the Regular Council Meeting of March 11, 2020.
The Public Hearing is now open. There were 5 people in the audience.
Bahr: With that, Mr. Taormina, if you want to give us your spiel?
Taormina: Thank you. Again, this is a rezoning petition involving property located on
Middlebelt Road. It is on the East side of Middlebelt, it’s between Joy
Road and West Chicago and it’s the former site of the Turowski Funeral
Home. This property sits on approximately ¾ of an acre. It is 230 feet of
frontage on Middlebelt Road and approximately 140 feet of frontage along
the side street; Hathaway. There’s a building on the site that measures
roughly 4,700 square feet in gross floor area. As you can see from this
aerial photograph, there’s parking on the North, East and South sides of
the building. The purpose of the rezoning is to enable the redevelopment
of this site as a veterinary clinic. The Petitioners this evening have a
contract to purchase the property. If successful in rezoning, they intend to
2
file waiver use application for the development of the veterinary clinic.
They will reuse the existing building for that purpose. The OS classification
which this is currently zoned as, does not allow veterinary clinics. The C-1
zoning, which they propose, will allow that subject to waiver use approval.
In terms of parking, there is more than enough parking to satisfy the needs
of the veterinary clinic. There are 53 spaces onsite. As we currently
estimate, there is only 22 spaces needed to support the proposed clinic.
Future land use plan shows this site as Corridor Commercial, so it is fully
aligned with the Livonia Vision 21. Planning Commission held a public
hearing on this item and is fully supporting the rezoning to C-1 (Public
Business). Thank you.
Bahr: Thank you. Are there any questions for the Planning Director?
White: Mr. Chair.
Bahr: Councilwoman Toy first, then White.
Toy: If I may, Mr. Chair, Mr. Taormina, on this facility, are they, I’m trying to
remember, are they allowed to keep pets overnight?
Taormina: They could if there was a licensed veterinarian on staff during the hours
that the pets are there. That question was asked during the Planning
Commission hearing and I believe they don’t have any intention of
boarding animals or having them stay overnight. If they do under an
emergency case, they would have somebody there to watch the pet. So,
I’ll let them explain the entirety.
Toy: I have another question for you, if I may. Outdoor, where they’re going to
walk the animals, you know, I don’t expect cats, but perhaps dogs, you
know. Is there space dedicated to that as well?
Taormina: There is not currently space, well there is ample room on the site for that,
there’s no areas that are improved for that purpose, meaning that it will
contain grass. They have every intention of providing an area somewhere
around the site, in fact, that is something they discussed with the Planning
Commission. They have some conceptual plans on what that would look
like. Again, that is something that will be reviewed in greater detail and
settled before Planning Commission for waiver use of approval.
Toy: Right. Right. I always like to get some of that up front. I realize that
sometimes that doesn’t really….
Taormina: They just brought in a conceptual project, so if you want to pass this out.
Toy: Perfect, thank you Mr. Chairman.
3
Bahr: Yeah, Councilwoman White?
White: I had the same question about boarding, so my question has been
answered, thank you.
Bahr: Any other questions for the Planning Director? Yes, Councilman Donovic?
Donovic: Is there a specific ordinance on what kind of animals they can and cannot
have? Are there restrictions? Can they only have certain kinds of animals
there?
Taormina: Not that I’m aware of.
Bahr: Ok, anybody else? All right, with that, we’ll go to the audience. If anyone
has any comments you want to make or any questions. Is the Petitioner
here?
Nugent: Good Evening, my name is Dr. Kari Nugent. I’ve been a Veterinarian for
the past 15 years, I own Unleashed Pet Care currently at 8645 N.
Middlebelt. To answer your questions, we are not going to board at the
facility. There may be an occasion where a pet needs to be held overnight.
Typically, that is not an ideal situation, we would prefer they be transferred
to an appropriate 24-hour facility. However, if that’s not possible,
appropriate veterinary staff will be on site at all times, if there is an animal
kept in the building. We do plan to have ample running space available so
that clients can walk their dogs for elimination purposes. After the last
meeting with the Planning Commission, we had to revise some of the
areas for green space to kind of open it up to not only be more
aesthetically pleasing, but also to offer more room for people to walk their
animals, keep them off of neighborhood lawns. As far as animal
restrictions, I’m a small animal Veterinarian, so realistically, we are talking
about dogs and cats and pocket pets, predominantly.
Jolly: Mr. Chair?
Bahr: Yes, Mr. Jolly?
Jolly: I’d like to offer an approving at this time.
Bahr: Yes, Councilwoman Toy?
Toy: Thank you. Yes, to the doctor, if I may? Doctor, on this special design, it
looks like some of the green space would go over where some of the
parking was.
4
Nugent: Correct.
Toy: I didn’t count the all, but it seems like there is quite a few. You still feel
comfortable, and with the City as well, the amount of spaces you do still
have left, correct?
Nugent: Yes, absolutely. In terms of the volume of our practice, realistically, we will
probably only be at a 2 and a half doctor practice, so we should have
ample room for parking. We did also talk with the Fire Marshall regarding
utilizing that thoroughfare as green space and he did give preliminary
approval that it was going to be satisfactory.
Toy: How long did you say you have been in business, 15 years?
Nugent: I have been a Veterinarian for 15 years. Unleashed Pet Care, I’ve owned
that practice for 13 years, technically. We’ve been at the present location
for 10.
Toy: Where is that at, is that in Westland?
Nugent: It is in Westland, so it is literally on the other side of Joy Road at 8645
Middlebelt.
Toy: Well great, I know that Councilman Jolly has offered an approving and
much success to you if you get the help.
Bahr: Thank you, Councilwoman Toy, you did it for me. I was going to apologize
for not formally acknowledging Councilman Jolly’s approving resolution, so
thank you for that. Any other questions?
McCullough: Yes, just one question, and I see it in the notes, but the sound abatement.
I’m very familiar with the property, I used to play street hockey there as a
child, but I do have some people that I know that actually butt adjacent to
the property. The sound abatement, I’m assuming, that the way you are
laying it out with the area where you would have cages be closer to the
back of it?
Nugent: No, we are working with an architect to specifically place the kennel area
more on the interior of the building, so that you have a little bit more
insulation. The sound, we are going to use sound eliminating insulation on
the exterior walls as well as an acoustic ceiling to, again, help minimize.
Realistically, as far as the aspect of barking. Without boarding, really, it’s
minimal. We have been, the current location is directly adjacent to a
residential area and we’ve never had any complaints or any issues with
barking. We do currently board and even in that situation we haven’t really
had any trouble with sound. We have also toyed with the idea of some
5
arboretums or some type of foliage at the back wall of the proposed green
space to also help to muffle any sound.
McCullough: That wall is a concrete wall, 5 feet or so. I think its great that you would be
looking at this building for your business and I wish you success. Thank
you.
Bahr: Councilwoman White?
White: For Kari, the Petitioner, could you tell us your hours of operation and days
that you’ll be open?
Nugent: We’re open Monday through Friday currently. Monday has, Friday we’re
open from 9am to 6pm. Tuesday as well, from 9am to 6pm. Wednesdays
currently are 9am to 2pm and then Thursdays from 9am to 8pm. As we
have more staffing, we will probably extend our hours a bit. We never
intend to be open on the weekend realistically, for the quality of life of all of
our staff, but we probably will extend hour to 8pm on several of the
weekdays.
White: Ok, thank you very much.
Bahr: Yes, Council President McIntyre?
McIntyre: So, now that the Standard Poodle won Westminster, do you expect to get
a lot of calls for people who want to get a Standard Poodle?
Nugent: Unfortunately, I think there’s going to be a lot of Doodles. The Doodle
trend is probably going to remain pretty strong.
McIntyre: And you’re not a fan of the Doodle trend?
Nugent: Doodles are great, they’re great, but there’s a lot of Doodles.
McIntyre: There are. In all seriousness, I just want to say I’m very glad. We always
want to see business that is no longer being used for its original purpose
being reused and very happy to be gaining a great vet practice that is
currently in other cities. I’m happy for you.
Nugent: Thank you.
Bahr: I do have one remaining question and maybe one of us have said it
already, I apologize. What is your primary reason for, you’re not moving
very far, what’s the reason you’re moving?
6
Nugent: We have run out of space, to be quite honest. We are leasing the building.
It is a very old building, unfortunately, it needs a lot of renovations. It
needs a complete overhaul. We’re currently functioning with two exam
rooms, so really, we have exceeded our capacity in that building, so we
need to expand in it, as well as being able to, just modernize the facility a
bit.
Toy: Just real quick. Doctor, where do you send your emergency cases, so if I
call you and my dogs have a problem, where do you send people?
Nugent: There are several. Typically, we send to Animal Emergency Center in
Novi. VS West or Oakland Veterinarian Referral Services typically.
Toy: Appreciate it, thank you very much. Thank you.
Bahr: All right, if there aren’t any further questions, we’ve got an approving
resolution from Councilman Jolly and the next Regular Meeting date for
th
this item will be on March 11. I’m sorry, thank you, are there any other
comments in the audience? Ok, the next Regular Meeting for tonight’s
item will be March 11, 2020. You or a representative should plan to be at
that meeting and actually, it will be an opportunity, it’s televised, so, if you
wish, it would be an opportunity to come and talk about your business
th
once again. March 11 it will be on the agenda, with that, I think we can
close the Public Hearing, we’re all set, thanks.
As there were no further questions or comments, the Public Hearing was declared
closed at 7:13 p.m.
CITY OF LIVONIA
PUBLIC HEARING
Minutes of Meeting Held on Wednesday, February 12, 2020
______________________________________________________________________
A Public Hearing of the Council of the City of Livonia was held at the City Hall
Auditorium on Wednesday, February 12, 2020.
MEMBERS PRESENT: Kathleen McIntyre, President (arrived at 7:03 p.m.)
Scott Bahr, Vice President
Rob Donovic
Jim Jolly
Brandon McCullough
Laura M. Toy
Cathy K. White
MEMBERS ABSENT: None
OTHERS PRESENT: Mark Taormina, Director of Economic Development
Paul Bernier, City Attorney
Sara Kasprowicz, Recording Secretary
The Public Hearing was called to order at 7:01 p.m. with Vice President Scott Bahr
presiding. This is a Public Hearing relative to Petition 2019-12-01-07 submitted by
Unleashed Pet Care Real Estate L.L.C., requesting to rezone the property located on
the east side of Middlebelt Road between Joy Road and West Chicago Avenue (9300
Middlebelt Road) in the Southwest ¼ of Section 36 from OS (Office Services) to C-1
(Local Business). This will be heard at the Regular Council Meeting of March 11, 2020.
The Public Hearing is now open. There were 5 people in the audience.
Bahr: With that, Mr. Taormina, if you want to give us your spiel?
Taormina: Thank you. Again, this is a rezoning petition involving property located on
Middlebelt Road. It is on the East side of Middlebelt, it’s between Joy
Road and West Chicago and it’s the former site of the Turowski Funeral
Home. This property sits on approximately ¾ of an acre. It is 230 feet of
frontage on Middlebelt Road and approximately 140 feet of frontage along
the side street; Hathaway. There’s a building on the site that measures
roughly 4,700 square feet in gross floor area. As you can see from this
aerial photograph, there’s parking on the North, East and South sides of
the building. The purpose of the rezoning is to enable the redevelopment
of this site as a veterinary clinic. The Petitioners this evening have a
contract to purchase the property. If successful in rezoning, they intend to
2
file waiver use application for the development of the veterinary clinic.
They will reuse the existing building for that purpose. The OS classification
which this is currently zoned as, does not allow veterinary clinics. The C-1
zoning, which they propose, will allow that subject to waiver use approval.
In terms of parking, there is more than enough parking to satisfy the needs
of the veterinary clinic. There are 53 spaces onsite. As we currently
estimate, there is only 22 spaces needed to support the proposed clinic.
Future land use plan shows this site as Corridor Commercial, so it is fully
aligned with the Livonia Vision 21. Planning Commission held a public
hearing on this item and is fully supporting the rezoning to C-1 (Public
Business). Thank you.
Bahr: Thank you. Are there any questions for the Planning Director?
White: Mr. Chair.
Bahr: Councilwoman Toy first, then White.
Toy: If I may, Mr. Chair, Mr. Taormina, on this facility, are they, I’m trying to
remember, are they allowed to keep pets overnight?
Taormina: They could if there was a licensed veterinarian on staff during the hours
that the pets are there. That question was asked during the Planning
Commission hearing and I believe they don’t have any intention of
boarding animals or having them stay overnight. If they do under an
emergency case, they would have somebody there to watch the pet. So,
I’ll let them explain the entirety.
Toy: I have another question for you, if I may. Outdoor, where they’re going to
walk the animals, you know, I don’t expect cats, but perhaps dogs, you
know. Is there space dedicated to that as well?
Taormina: There is not currently space, well there is ample room on the site for that,
there’s no areas that are improved for that purpose, meaning that it will
contain grass. They have every intention of providing an area somewhere
around the site, in fact, that is something they discussed with the Planning
Commission. They have some conceptual plans on what that would look
like. Again, that is something that will be reviewed in greater detail and
settled before Planning Commission for waiver use of approval.
Toy: Right. Right. I always like to get some of that up front. I realize that
sometimes that doesn’t really….
Taormina: They just brought in a conceptual project, so if you want to pass this out.
Toy: Perfect, thank you Mr. Chairman.
3
Bahr: Yeah, Councilwoman White?
White: I had the same question about boarding, so my question has been
answered, thank you.
Bahr: Any other questions for the Planning Director? Yes, Councilman Donovic?
Donovic: Is there a specific ordinance on what kind of animals they can and cannot
have? Are there restrictions? Can they only have certain kinds of animals
there?
Taormina: Not that I’m aware of.
Bahr: Ok, anybody else? All right, with that, we’ll go to the audience. If anyone
has any comments you want to make or any questions. Is the Petitioner
here?
Nugent: Good Evening, my name is Dr. Kari Nugent. I’ve been a Veterinarian for
the past 15 years, I own Unleashed Pet Care currently at 8645 N.
Middlebelt. To answer your questions, we are not going to board at the
facility. There may be an occasion where a pet needs to be held overnight.
Typically, that is not an ideal situation, we would prefer they be transferred
to an appropriate 24-hour facility. However, if that’s not possible,
appropriate veterinary staff will be on site at all times, if there is an animal
kept in the building. We do plan to have ample running space available so
that clients can walk their dogs for elimination purposes. After the last
meeting with the Planning Commission, we had to revise some of the
areas for green space to kind of open it up to not only be more
aesthetically pleasing, but also to offer more room for people to walk their
animals, keep them off of neighborhood lawns. As far as animal
restrictions, I’m a small animal Veterinarian, so realistically, we are talking
about dogs and cats and pocket pets, predominantly.
Jolly: Mr. Chair?
Bahr: Yes, Mr. Jolly?
Jolly: I’d like to offer an approving at this time.
Bahr: Yes, Councilwoman Toy?
Toy: Thank you. Yes, to the doctor, if I may? Doctor, on this special design, it
looks like some of the green space would go over where some of the
parking was.
4
Nugent: Correct.
Toy: I didn’t count the all, but it seems like there is quite a few. You still feel
comfortable, and with the City as well, the amount of spaces you do still
have left, correct?
Nugent: Yes, absolutely. In terms of the volume of our practice, realistically, we will
probably only be at a 2 and a half doctor practice, so we should have
ample room for parking. We did also talk with the Fire Marshall regarding
utilizing that thoroughfare as green space and he did give preliminary
approval that it was going to be satisfactory.
Toy: How long did you say you have been in business, 15 years?
Nugent: I have been a Veterinarian for 15 years. Unleashed Pet Care, I’ve owned
that practice for 13 years, technically. We’ve been at the present location
for 10.
Toy: Where is that at, is that in Westland?
Nugent: It is in Westland, so it is literally on the other side of Joy Road at 8645
Middlebelt.
Toy: Well great, I know that Councilman Jolly has offered an approving and
much success to you if you get the help.
Bahr: Thank you, Councilwoman Toy, you did it for me. I was going to apologize
for not formally acknowledging Councilman Jolly’s approving resolution, so
thank you for that. Any other questions?
McCullough: Yes, just one question, and I see it in the notes, but the sound abatement.
I’m very familiar with the property, I used to play street hockey there as a
child, but I do have some people that I know that actually butt adjacent to
the property. The sound abatement, I’m assuming, that the way you are
laying it out with the area where you would have cages be closer to the
back of it?
Nugent: No, we are working with an architect to specifically place the kennel area
more on the interior of the building, so that you have a little bit more
insulation. The sound, we are going to use sound eliminating insulation on
the exterior walls as well as an acoustic ceiling to, again, help minimize.
Realistically, as far as the aspect of barking. Without boarding, really, it’s
minimal. We have been, the current location is directly adjacent to a
residential area and we’ve never had any complaints or any issues with
barking. We do currently board and even in that situation we haven’t really
had any trouble with sound. We have also toyed with the idea of some
5
arboretums or some type of foliage at the back wall of the proposed green
space to also help to muffle any sound.
McCullough: That wall is a concrete wall, 5 feet or so. I think its great that you would be
looking at this building for your business and I wish you success. Thank
you.
Bahr: Councilwoman White?
White: For Kari, the Petitioner, could you tell us your hours of operation and days
that you’ll be open?
Nugent: We’re open Monday through Friday currently. Monday has, Friday we’re
open from 9am to 6pm. Tuesday as well, from 9am to 6pm. Wednesdays
currently are 9am to 2pm and then Thursdays from 9am to 8pm. As we
have more staffing, we will probably extend our hours a bit. We never
intend to be open on the weekend realistically, for the quality of life of all of
our staff, but we probably will extend hour to 8pm on several of the
weekdays.
White: Ok, thank you very much.
Bahr: Yes, Council President McIntyre?
McIntyre: So, now that the Standard Poodle won Westminster, do you expect to get
a lot of calls for people who want to get a Standard Poodle?
Nugent: Unfortunately, I think there’s going to be a lot of Doodles. The Doodle
trend is probably going to remain pretty strong.
McIntyre: And you’re not a fan of the Doodle trend?
Nugent: Doodles are great, they’re great, but there’s a lot of Doodles.
McIntyre: There are. In all seriousness, I just want to say I’m very glad. We always
want to see business that is no longer being used for its original purpose
being reused and very happy to be gaining a great vet practice that is
currently in other cities. I’m happy for you.
Nugent: Thank you.
Bahr: I do have one remaining question and maybe one of us have said it
already, I apologize. What is your primary reason for, you’re not moving
very far, what’s the reason you’re moving?
6
Nugent: We have run out of space, to be quite honest. We are leasing the building.
It is a very old building, unfortunately, it needs a lot of renovations. It
needs a complete overhaul. We’re currently functioning with two exam
rooms, so really, we have exceeded our capacity in that building, so we
need to expand in it, as well as being able to, just modernize the facility a
bit.
Toy: Just real quick. Doctor, where do you send your emergency cases, so if I
call you and my dogs have a problem, where do you send people?
Nugent: There are several. Typically, we send to Animal Emergency Center in
Novi. VS West or Oakland Veterinarian Referral Services typically.
Toy: Appreciate it, thank you very much. Thank you.
Bahr: All right, if there aren’t any further questions, we’ve got an approving
resolution from Councilman Jolly and the next Regular Meeting date for
th
this item will be on March 11. I’m sorry, thank you, are there any other
comments in the audience? Ok, the next Regular Meeting for tonight’s
item will be March 11, 2020. You or a representative should plan to be at
that meeting and actually, it will be an opportunity, it’s televised, so, if you
wish, it would be an opportunity to come and talk about your business
th
once again. March 11 it will be on the agenda, with that, I think we can
close the Public Hearing, we’re all set, thanks.
As there were no further questions or comments, the Public Hearing was declared
closed at 7:13 p.m.
CITY OF LIVONIA
PUBLIC HEARING
Minutes of Meeting Held on Wednesday, February 12, 2020
______________________________________________________________________
A Public Hearing of the Council of the City of Livonia was held at the City Hall
Auditorium on Wednesday, February 12, 2020.
MEMBERS PRESENT: Kathleen McIntyre, President (arrived at 7:03 p.m.)
Scott Bahr, Vice President
Rob Donovic
Jim Jolly
Brandon McCullough
Laura M. Toy
Cathy K. White
MEMBERS ABSENT: None
OTHERS PRESENT: Mark Taormina, Director of Economic Development
Paul Bernier, City Attorney
Sara Kasprowicz, Recording Secretary
The Public Hearing was called to order at 7:01 p.m. with Vice President Scott Bahr
presiding. This is a Public Hearing relative to Petition 2019-12-01-07 submitted by
Unleashed Pet Care Real Estate L.L.C., requesting to rezone the property located on
the east side of Middlebelt Road between Joy Road and West Chicago Avenue (9300
Middlebelt Road) in the Southwest ¼ of Section 36 from OS (Office Services) to C-1
(Local Business). This will be heard at the Regular Council Meeting of March 11, 2020.
The Public Hearing is now open. There were 5 people in the audience.
Bahr: With that, Mr. Taormina, if you want to give us your spiel?
Taormina: Thank you. Again, this is a rezoning petition involving property located on
Middlebelt Road. It is on the East side of Middlebelt, it’s between Joy
Road and West Chicago and it’s the former site of the Turowski Funeral
Home. This property sits on approximately ¾ of an acre. It is 230 feet of
frontage on Middlebelt Road and approximately 140 feet of frontage along
the side street; Hathaway. There’s a building on the site that measures
roughly 4,700 square feet in gross floor area. As you can see from this
aerial photograph, there’s parking on the North, East and South sides of
the building. The purpose of the rezoning is to enable the redevelopment
of this site as a veterinary clinic. The Petitioners this evening have a
contract to purchase the property. If successful in rezoning, they intend to
2
file waiver use application for the development of the veterinary clinic.
They will reuse the existing building for that purpose. The OS classification
which this is currently zoned as, does not allow veterinary clinics. The C-1
zoning, which they propose, will allow that subject to waiver use approval.
In terms of parking, there is more than enough parking to satisfy the needs
of the veterinary clinic. There are 53 spaces onsite. As we currently
estimate, there is only 22 spaces needed to support the proposed clinic.
Future land use plan shows this site as Corridor Commercial, so it is fully
aligned with the Livonia Vision 21. Planning Commission held a public
hearing on this item and is fully supporting the rezoning to C-1 (Public
Business). Thank you.
Bahr: Thank you. Are there any questions for the Planning Director?
White: Mr. Chair.
Bahr: Councilwoman Toy first, then White.
Toy: If I may, Mr. Chair, Mr. Taormina, on this facility, are they, I’m trying to
remember, are they allowed to keep pets overnight?
Taormina: They could if there was a licensed veterinarian on staff during the hours
that the pets are there. That question was asked during the Planning
Commission hearing and I believe they don’t have any intention of
boarding animals or having them stay overnight. If they do under an
emergency case, they would have somebody there to watch the pet. So,
I’ll let them explain the entirety.
Toy: I have another question for you, if I may. Outdoor, where they’re going to
walk the animals, you know, I don’t expect cats, but perhaps dogs, you
know. Is there space dedicated to that as well?
Taormina: There is not currently space, well there is ample room on the site for that,
there’s no areas that are improved for that purpose, meaning that it will
contain grass. They have every intention of providing an area somewhere
around the site, in fact, that is something they discussed with the Planning
Commission. They have some conceptual plans on what that would look
like. Again, that is something that will be reviewed in greater detail and
settled before Planning Commission for waiver use of approval.
Toy: Right. Right. I always like to get some of that up front. I realize that
sometimes that doesn’t really….
Taormina: They just brought in a conceptual project, so if you want to pass this out.
Toy: Perfect, thank you Mr. Chairman.
3
Bahr: Yeah, Councilwoman White?
White: I had the same question about boarding, so my question has been
answered, thank you.
Bahr: Any other questions for the Planning Director? Yes, Councilman Donovic?
Donovic: Is there a specific ordinance on what kind of animals they can and cannot
have? Are there restrictions? Can they only have certain kinds of animals
there?
Taormina: Not that I’m aware of.
Bahr: Ok, anybody else? All right, with that, we’ll go to the audience. If anyone
has any comments you want to make or any questions. Is the Petitioner
here?
Nugent: Good Evening, my name is Dr. Kari Nugent. I’ve been a Veterinarian for
the past 15 years, I own Unleashed Pet Care currently at 8645 N.
Middlebelt. To answer your questions, we are not going to board at the
facility. There may be an occasion where a pet needs to be held overnight.
Typically, that is not an ideal situation, we would prefer they be transferred
to an appropriate 24-hour facility. However, if that’s not possible,
appropriate veterinary staff will be on site at all times, if there is an animal
kept in the building. We do plan to have ample running space available so
that clients can walk their dogs for elimination purposes. After the last
meeting with the Planning Commission, we had to revise some of the
areas for green space to kind of open it up to not only be more
aesthetically pleasing, but also to offer more room for people to walk their
animals, keep them off of neighborhood lawns. As far as animal
restrictions, I’m a small animal Veterinarian, so realistically, we are talking
about dogs and cats and pocket pets, predominantly.
Jolly: Mr. Chair?
Bahr: Yes, Mr. Jolly?
Jolly: I’d like to offer an approving at this time.
Bahr: Yes, Councilwoman Toy?
Toy: Thank you. Yes, to the doctor, if I may? Doctor, on this special design, it
looks like some of the green space would go over where some of the
parking was.
4
Nugent: Correct.
Toy: I didn’t count the all, but it seems like there is quite a few. You still feel
comfortable, and with the City as well, the amount of spaces you do still
have left, correct?
Nugent: Yes, absolutely. In terms of the volume of our practice, realistically, we will
probably only be at a 2 and a half doctor practice, so we should have
ample room for parking. We did also talk with the Fire Marshall regarding
utilizing that thoroughfare as green space and he did give preliminary
approval that it was going to be satisfactory.
Toy: How long did you say you have been in business, 15 years?
Nugent: I have been a Veterinarian for 15 years. Unleashed Pet Care, I’ve owned
that practice for 13 years, technically. We’ve been at the present location
for 10.
Toy: Where is that at, is that in Westland?
Nugent: It is in Westland, so it is literally on the other side of Joy Road at 8645
Middlebelt.
Toy: Well great, I know that Councilman Jolly has offered an approving and
much success to you if you get the help.
Bahr: Thank you, Councilwoman Toy, you did it for me. I was going to apologize
for not formally acknowledging Councilman Jolly’s approving resolution, so
thank you for that. Any other questions?
McCullough: Yes, just one question, and I see it in the notes, but the sound abatement.
I’m very familiar with the property, I used to play street hockey there as a
child, but I do have some people that I know that actually butt adjacent to
the property. The sound abatement, I’m assuming, that the way you are
laying it out with the area where you would have cages be closer to the
back of it?
Nugent: No, we are working with an architect to specifically place the kennel area
more on the interior of the building, so that you have a little bit more
insulation. The sound, we are going to use sound eliminating insulation on
the exterior walls as well as an acoustic ceiling to, again, help minimize.
Realistically, as far as the aspect of barking. Without boarding, really, it’s
minimal. We have been, the current location is directly adjacent to a
residential area and we’ve never had any complaints or any issues with
barking. We do currently board and even in that situation we haven’t really
had any trouble with sound. We have also toyed with the idea of some
5
arboretums or some type of foliage at the back wall of the proposed green
space to also help to muffle any sound.
McCullough: That wall is a concrete wall, 5 feet or so. I think its great that you would be
looking at this building for your business and I wish you success. Thank
you.
Bahr: Councilwoman White?
White: For Kari, the Petitioner, could you tell us your hours of operation and days
that you’ll be open?
Nugent: We’re open Monday through Friday currently. Monday has, Friday we’re
open from 9am to 6pm. Tuesday as well, from 9am to 6pm. Wednesdays
currently are 9am to 2pm and then Thursdays from 9am to 8pm. As we
have more staffing, we will probably extend our hours a bit. We never
intend to be open on the weekend realistically, for the quality of life of all of
our staff, but we probably will extend hour to 8pm on several of the
weekdays.
White: Ok, thank you very much.
Bahr: Yes, Council President McIntyre?
McIntyre: So, now that the Standard Poodle won Westminster, do you expect to get
a lot of calls for people who want to get a Standard Poodle?
Nugent: Unfortunately, I think there’s going to be a lot of Doodles. The Doodle
trend is probably going to remain pretty strong.
McIntyre: And you’re not a fan of the Doodle trend?
Nugent: Doodles are great, they’re great, but there’s a lot of Doodles.
McIntyre: There are. In all seriousness, I just want to say I’m very glad. We always
want to see business that is no longer being used for its original purpose
being reused and very happy to be gaining a great vet practice that is
currently in other cities. I’m happy for you.
Nugent: Thank you.
Bahr: I do have one remaining question and maybe one of us have said it
already, I apologize. What is your primary reason for, you’re not moving
very far, what’s the reason you’re moving?
6
Nugent: We have run out of space, to be quite honest. We are leasing the building.
It is a very old building, unfortunately, it needs a lot of renovations. It
needs a complete overhaul. We’re currently functioning with two exam
rooms, so really, we have exceeded our capacity in that building, so we
need to expand in it, as well as being able to, just modernize the facility a
bit.
Toy: Just real quick. Doctor, where do you send your emergency cases, so if I
call you and my dogs have a problem, where do you send people?
Nugent: There are several. Typically, we send to Animal Emergency Center in
Novi. VS West or Oakland Veterinarian Referral Services typically.
Toy: Appreciate it, thank you very much. Thank you.
Bahr: All right, if there aren’t any further questions, we’ve got an approving
resolution from Councilman Jolly and the next Regular Meeting date for
th
this item will be on March 11. I’m sorry, thank you, are there any other
comments in the audience? Ok, the next Regular Meeting for tonight’s
item will be March 11, 2020. You or a representative should plan to be at
that meeting and actually, it will be an opportunity, it’s televised, so, if you
wish, it would be an opportunity to come and talk about your business
th
once again. March 11 it will be on the agenda, with that, I think we can
close the Public Hearing, we’re all set, thanks.
As there were no further questions or comments, the Public Hearing was declared
closed at 7:13 p.m.
CITY OF LIVONIA
PUBLIC HEARING
Minutes of Meeting Held on Wednesday, February 12, 2020
______________________________________________________________________
A Public Hearing of the Council of the City of Livonia was held at the City Hall
Auditorium on Wednesday, February 12, 2020.
MEMBERS PRESENT: Kathleen McIntyre, President (arrived at 7:03 p.m.)
Scott Bahr, Vice President
Rob Donovic
Jim Jolly
Brandon McCullough
Laura M. Toy
Cathy K. White
MEMBERS ABSENT: None
OTHERS PRESENT: Mark Taormina, Director of Economic Development
Paul Bernier, City Attorney
Sara Kasprowicz, Recording Secretary
The Public Hearing was called to order at 7:01 p.m. with Vice President Scott Bahr
presiding. This is a Public Hearing relative to Petition 2019-12-01-07 submitted by
Unleashed Pet Care Real Estate L.L.C., requesting to rezone the property located on
the east side of Middlebelt Road between Joy Road and West Chicago Avenue (9300
Middlebelt Road) in the Southwest ¼ of Section 36 from OS (Office Services) to C-1
(Local Business). This will be heard at the Regular Council Meeting of March 11, 2020.
The Public Hearing is now open. There were 5 people in the audience.
Bahr: With that, Mr. Taormina, if you want to give us your spiel?
Taormina: Thank you. Again, this is a rezoning petition involving property located on
Middlebelt Road. It is on the East side of Middlebelt, it’s between Joy
Road and West Chicago and it’s the former site of the Turowski Funeral
Home. This property sits on approximately ¾ of an acre. It is 230 feet of
frontage on Middlebelt Road and approximately 140 feet of frontage along
the side street; Hathaway. There’s a building on the site that measures
roughly 4,700 square feet in gross floor area. As you can see from this
aerial photograph, there’s parking on the North, East and South sides of
the building. The purpose of the rezoning is to enable the redevelopment
of this site as a veterinary clinic. The Petitioners this evening have a
contract to purchase the property. If successful in rezoning, they intend to
2
file waiver use application for the development of the veterinary clinic.
They will reuse the existing building for that purpose. The OS classification
which this is currently zoned as, does not allow veterinary clinics. The C-1
zoning, which they propose, will allow that subject to waiver use approval.
In terms of parking, there is more than enough parking to satisfy the needs
of the veterinary clinic. There are 53 spaces onsite. As we currently
estimate, there is only 22 spaces needed to support the proposed clinic.
Future land use plan shows this site as Corridor Commercial, so it is fully
aligned with the Livonia Vision 21. Planning Commission held a public
hearing on this item and is fully supporting the rezoning to C-1 (Public
Business). Thank you.
Bahr: Thank you. Are there any questions for the Planning Director?
White: Mr. Chair.
Bahr: Councilwoman Toy first, then White.
Toy: If I may, Mr. Chair, Mr. Taormina, on this facility, are they, I’m trying to
remember, are they allowed to keep pets overnight?
Taormina: They could if there was a licensed veterinarian on staff during the hours
that the pets are there. That question was asked during the Planning
Commission hearing and I believe they don’t have any intention of
boarding animals or having them stay overnight. If they do under an
emergency case, they would have somebody there to watch the pet. So,
I’ll let them explain the entirety.
Toy: I have another question for you, if I may. Outdoor, where they’re going to
walk the animals, you know, I don’t expect cats, but perhaps dogs, you
know. Is there space dedicated to that as well?
Taormina: There is not currently space, well there is ample room on the site for that,
there’s no areas that are improved for that purpose, meaning that it will
contain grass. They have every intention of providing an area somewhere
around the site, in fact, that is something they discussed with the Planning
Commission. They have some conceptual plans on what that would look
like. Again, that is something that will be reviewed in greater detail and
settled before Planning Commission for waiver use of approval.
Toy: Right. Right. I always like to get some of that up front. I realize that
sometimes that doesn’t really….
Taormina: They just brought in a conceptual project, so if you want to pass this out.
Toy: Perfect, thank you Mr. Chairman.
3
Bahr: Yeah, Councilwoman White?
White: I had the same question about boarding, so my question has been
answered, thank you.
Bahr: Any other questions for the Planning Director? Yes, Councilman Donovic?
Donovic: Is there a specific ordinance on what kind of animals they can and cannot
have? Are there restrictions? Can they only have certain kinds of animals
there?
Taormina: Not that I’m aware of.
Bahr: Ok, anybody else? All right, with that, we’ll go to the audience. If anyone
has any comments you want to make or any questions. Is the Petitioner
here?
Nugent: Good Evening, my name is Dr. Kari Nugent. I’ve been a Veterinarian for
the past 15 years, I own Unleashed Pet Care currently at 8645 N.
Middlebelt. To answer your questions, we are not going to board at the
facility. There may be an occasion where a pet needs to be held overnight.
Typically, that is not an ideal situation, we would prefer they be transferred
to an appropriate 24-hour facility. However, if that’s not possible,
appropriate veterinary staff will be on site at all times, if there is an animal
kept in the building. We do plan to have ample running space available so
that clients can walk their dogs for elimination purposes. After the last
meeting with the Planning Commission, we had to revise some of the
areas for green space to kind of open it up to not only be more
aesthetically pleasing, but also to offer more room for people to walk their
animals, keep them off of neighborhood lawns. As far as animal
restrictions, I’m a small animal Veterinarian, so realistically, we are talking
about dogs and cats and pocket pets, predominantly.
Jolly: Mr. Chair?
Bahr: Yes, Mr. Jolly?
Jolly: I’d like to offer an approving at this time.
Bahr: Yes, Councilwoman Toy?
Toy: Thank you. Yes, to the doctor, if I may? Doctor, on this special design, it
looks like some of the green space would go over where some of the
parking was.
4
Nugent: Correct.
Toy: I didn’t count the all, but it seems like there is quite a few. You still feel
comfortable, and with the City as well, the amount of spaces you do still
have left, correct?
Nugent: Yes, absolutely. In terms of the volume of our practice, realistically, we will
probably only be at a 2 and a half doctor practice, so we should have
ample room for parking. We did also talk with the Fire Marshall regarding
utilizing that thoroughfare as green space and he did give preliminary
approval that it was going to be satisfactory.
Toy: How long did you say you have been in business, 15 years?
Nugent: I have been a Veterinarian for 15 years. Unleashed Pet Care, I’ve owned
that practice for 13 years, technically. We’ve been at the present location
for 10.
Toy: Where is that at, is that in Westland?
Nugent: It is in Westland, so it is literally on the other side of Joy Road at 8645
Middlebelt.
Toy: Well great, I know that Councilman Jolly has offered an approving and
much success to you if you get the help.
Bahr: Thank you, Councilwoman Toy, you did it for me. I was going to apologize
for not formally acknowledging Councilman Jolly’s approving resolution, so
thank you for that. Any other questions?
McCullough: Yes, just one question, and I see it in the notes, but the sound abatement.
I’m very familiar with the property, I used to play street hockey there as a
child, but I do have some people that I know that actually butt adjacent to
the property. The sound abatement, I’m assuming, that the way you are
laying it out with the area where you would have cages be closer to the
back of it?
Nugent: No, we are working with an architect to specifically place the kennel area
more on the interior of the building, so that you have a little bit more
insulation. The sound, we are going to use sound eliminating insulation on
the exterior walls as well as an acoustic ceiling to, again, help minimize.
Realistically, as far as the aspect of barking. Without boarding, really, it’s
minimal. We have been, the current location is directly adjacent to a
residential area and we’ve never had any complaints or any issues with
barking. We do currently board and even in that situation we haven’t really
had any trouble with sound. We have also toyed with the idea of some
5
arboretums or some type of foliage at the back wall of the proposed green
space to also help to muffle any sound.
McCullough: That wall is a concrete wall, 5 feet or so. I think its great that you would be
looking at this building for your business and I wish you success. Thank
you.
Bahr: Councilwoman White?
White: For Kari, the Petitioner, could you tell us your hours of operation and days
that you’ll be open?
Nugent: We’re open Monday through Friday currently. Monday has, Friday we’re
open from 9am to 6pm. Tuesday as well, from 9am to 6pm. Wednesdays
currently are 9am to 2pm and then Thursdays from 9am to 8pm. As we
have more staffing, we will probably extend our hours a bit. We never
intend to be open on the weekend realistically, for the quality of life of all of
our staff, but we probably will extend hour to 8pm on several of the
weekdays.
White: Ok, thank you very much.
Bahr: Yes, Council President McIntyre?
McIntyre: So, now that the Standard Poodle won Westminster, do you expect to get
a lot of calls for people who want to get a Standard Poodle?
Nugent: Unfortunately, I think there’s going to be a lot of Doodles. The Doodle
trend is probably going to remain pretty strong.
McIntyre: And you’re not a fan of the Doodle trend?
Nugent: Doodles are great, they’re great, but there’s a lot of Doodles.
McIntyre: There are. In all seriousness, I just want to say I’m very glad. We always
want to see business that is no longer being used for its original purpose
being reused and very happy to be gaining a great vet practice that is
currently in other cities. I’m happy for you.
Nugent: Thank you.
Bahr: I do have one remaining question and maybe one of us have said it
already, I apologize. What is your primary reason for, you’re not moving
very far, what’s the reason you’re moving?
6
Nugent: We have run out of space, to be quite honest. We are leasing the building.
It is a very old building, unfortunately, it needs a lot of renovations. It
needs a complete overhaul. We’re currently functioning with two exam
rooms, so really, we have exceeded our capacity in that building, so we
need to expand in it, as well as being able to, just modernize the facility a
bit.
Toy: Just real quick. Doctor, where do you send your emergency cases, so if I
call you and my dogs have a problem, where do you send people?
Nugent: There are several. Typically, we send to Animal Emergency Center in
Novi. VS West or Oakland Veterinarian Referral Services typically.
Toy: Appreciate it, thank you very much. Thank you.
Bahr: All right, if there aren’t any further questions, we’ve got an approving
resolution from Councilman Jolly and the next Regular Meeting date for
th
this item will be on March 11. I’m sorry, thank you, are there any other
comments in the audience? Ok, the next Regular Meeting for tonight’s
item will be March 11, 2020. You or a representative should plan to be at
that meeting and actually, it will be an opportunity, it’s televised, so, if you
wish, it would be an opportunity to come and talk about your business
th
once again. March 11 it will be on the agenda, with that, I think we can
close the Public Hearing, we’re all set, thanks.
As there were no further questions or comments, the Public Hearing was declared
closed at 7:13 p.m.
CITY OF LIVONIA
PUBLIC HEARING
Minutes of Meeting Held on Wednesday, February 12, 2020
______________________________________________________________________
A Public Hearing of the Council of the City of Livonia was held at the City Hall
Auditorium on Wednesday, February 12, 2020.
MEMBERS PRESENT: Kathleen McIntyre, President (arrived at 7:03 p.m.)
Scott Bahr, Vice President
Rob Donovic
Jim Jolly
Brandon McCullough
Laura M. Toy
Cathy K. White
MEMBERS ABSENT: None
OTHERS PRESENT: Mark Taormina, Director of Economic Development
Paul Bernier, City Attorney
Sara Kasprowicz, Recording Secretary
The Public Hearing was called to order at 7:01 p.m. with Vice President Scott Bahr
presiding. This is a Public Hearing relative to Petition 2019-12-01-07 submitted by
Unleashed Pet Care Real Estate L.L.C., requesting to rezone the property located on
the east side of Middlebelt Road between Joy Road and West Chicago Avenue (9300
Middlebelt Road) in the Southwest ¼ of Section 36 from OS (Office Services) to C-1
(Local Business). This will be heard at the Regular Council Meeting of March 11, 2020.
The Public Hearing is now open. There were 5 people in the audience.
Bahr: With that, Mr. Taormina, if you want to give us your spiel?
Taormina: Thank you. Again, this is a rezoning petition involving property located on
Middlebelt Road. It is on the East side of Middlebelt, it’s between Joy
Road and West Chicago and it’s the former site of the Turowski Funeral
Home. This property sits on approximately ¾ of an acre. It is 230 feet of
frontage on Middlebelt Road and approximately 140 feet of frontage along
the side street; Hathaway. There’s a building on the site that measures
roughly 4,700 square feet in gross floor area. As you can see from this
aerial photograph, there’s parking on the North, East and South sides of
the building. The purpose of the rezoning is to enable the redevelopment
of this site as a veterinary clinic. The Petitioners this evening have a
contract to purchase the property. If successful in rezoning, they intend to
2
file waiver use application for the development of the veterinary clinic.
They will reuse the existing building for that purpose. The OS classification
which this is currently zoned as, does not allow veterinary clinics. The C-1
zoning, which they propose, will allow that subject to waiver use approval.
In terms of parking, there is more than enough parking to satisfy the needs
of the veterinary clinic. There are 53 spaces onsite. As we currently
estimate, there is only 22 spaces needed to support the proposed clinic.
Future land use plan shows this site as Corridor Commercial, so it is fully
aligned with the Livonia Vision 21. Planning Commission held a public
hearing on this item and is fully supporting the rezoning to C-1 (Public
Business). Thank you.
Bahr: Thank you. Are there any questions for the Planning Director?
White: Mr. Chair.
Bahr: Councilwoman Toy first, then White.
Toy: If I may, Mr. Chair, Mr. Taormina, on this facility, are they, I’m trying to
remember, are they allowed to keep pets overnight?
Taormina: They could if there was a licensed veterinarian on staff during the hours
that the pets are there. That question was asked during the Planning
Commission hearing and I believe they don’t have any intention of
boarding animals or having them stay overnight. If they do under an
emergency case, they would have somebody there to watch the pet. So,
I’ll let them explain the entirety.
Toy: I have another question for you, if I may. Outdoor, where they’re going to
walk the animals, you know, I don’t expect cats, but perhaps dogs, you
know. Is there space dedicated to that as well?
Taormina: There is not currently space, well there is ample room on the site for that,
there’s no areas that are improved for that purpose, meaning that it will
contain grass. They have every intention of providing an area somewhere
around the site, in fact, that is something they discussed with the Planning
Commission. They have some conceptual plans on what that would look
like. Again, that is something that will be reviewed in greater detail and
settled before Planning Commission for waiver use of approval.
Toy: Right. Right. I always like to get some of that up front. I realize that
sometimes that doesn’t really….
Taormina: They just brought in a conceptual project, so if you want to pass this out.
Toy: Perfect, thank you Mr. Chairman.
3
Bahr: Yeah, Councilwoman White?
White: I had the same question about boarding, so my question has been
answered, thank you.
Bahr: Any other questions for the Planning Director? Yes, Councilman Donovic?
Donovic: Is there a specific ordinance on what kind of animals they can and cannot
have? Are there restrictions? Can they only have certain kinds of animals
there?
Taormina: Not that I’m aware of.
Bahr: Ok, anybody else? All right, with that, we’ll go to the audience. If anyone
has any comments you want to make or any questions. Is the Petitioner
here?
Nugent: Good Evening, my name is Dr. Kari Nugent. I’ve been a Veterinarian for
the past 15 years, I own Unleashed Pet Care currently at 8645 N.
Middlebelt. To answer your questions, we are not going to board at the
facility. There may be an occasion where a pet needs to be held overnight.
Typically, that is not an ideal situation, we would prefer they be transferred
to an appropriate 24-hour facility. However, if that’s not possible,
appropriate veterinary staff will be on site at all times, if there is an animal
kept in the building. We do plan to have ample running space available so
that clients can walk their dogs for elimination purposes. After the last
meeting with the Planning Commission, we had to revise some of the
areas for green space to kind of open it up to not only be more
aesthetically pleasing, but also to offer more room for people to walk their
animals, keep them off of neighborhood lawns. As far as animal
restrictions, I’m a small animal Veterinarian, so realistically, we are talking
about dogs and cats and pocket pets, predominantly.
Jolly: Mr. Chair?
Bahr: Yes, Mr. Jolly?
Jolly: I’d like to offer an approving at this time.
Bahr: Yes, Councilwoman Toy?
Toy: Thank you. Yes, to the doctor, if I may? Doctor, on this special design, it
looks like some of the green space would go over where some of the
parking was.
4
Nugent: Correct.
Toy: I didn’t count the all, but it seems like there is quite a few. You still feel
comfortable, and with the City as well, the amount of spaces you do still
have left, correct?
Nugent: Yes, absolutely. In terms of the volume of our practice, realistically, we will
probably only be at a 2 and a half doctor practice, so we should have
ample room for parking. We did also talk with the Fire Marshall regarding
utilizing that thoroughfare as green space and he did give preliminary
approval that it was going to be satisfactory.
Toy: How long did you say you have been in business, 15 years?
Nugent: I have been a Veterinarian for 15 years. Unleashed Pet Care, I’ve owned
that practice for 13 years, technically. We’ve been at the present location
for 10.
Toy: Where is that at, is that in Westland?
Nugent: It is in Westland, so it is literally on the other side of Joy Road at 8645
Middlebelt.
Toy: Well great, I know that Councilman Jolly has offered an approving and
much success to you if you get the help.
Bahr: Thank you, Councilwoman Toy, you did it for me. I was going to apologize
for not formally acknowledging Councilman Jolly’s approving resolution, so
thank you for that. Any other questions?
McCullough: Yes, just one question, and I see it in the notes, but the sound abatement.
I’m very familiar with the property, I used to play street hockey there as a
child, but I do have some people that I know that actually butt adjacent to
the property. The sound abatement, I’m assuming, that the way you are
laying it out with the area where you would have cages be closer to the
back of it?
Nugent: No, we are working with an architect to specifically place the kennel area
more on the interior of the building, so that you have a little bit more
insulation. The sound, we are going to use sound eliminating insulation on
the exterior walls as well as an acoustic ceiling to, again, help minimize.
Realistically, as far as the aspect of barking. Without boarding, really, it’s
minimal. We have been, the current location is directly adjacent to a
residential area and we’ve never had any complaints or any issues with
barking. We do currently board and even in that situation we haven’t really
had any trouble with sound. We have also toyed with the idea of some
5
arboretums or some type of foliage at the back wall of the proposed green
space to also help to muffle any sound.
McCullough: That wall is a concrete wall, 5 feet or so. I think its great that you would be
looking at this building for your business and I wish you success. Thank
you.
Bahr: Councilwoman White?
White: For Kari, the Petitioner, could you tell us your hours of operation and days
that you’ll be open?
Nugent: We’re open Monday through Friday currently. Monday has, Friday we’re
open from 9am to 6pm. Tuesday as well, from 9am to 6pm. Wednesdays
currently are 9am to 2pm and then Thursdays from 9am to 8pm. As we
have more staffing, we will probably extend our hours a bit. We never
intend to be open on the weekend realistically, for the quality of life of all of
our staff, but we probably will extend hour to 8pm on several of the
weekdays.
White: Ok, thank you very much.
Bahr: Yes, Council President McIntyre?
McIntyre: So, now that the Standard Poodle won Westminster, do you expect to get
a lot of calls for people who want to get a Standard Poodle?
Nugent: Unfortunately, I think there’s going to be a lot of Doodles. The Doodle
trend is probably going to remain pretty strong.
McIntyre: And you’re not a fan of the Doodle trend?
Nugent: Doodles are great, they’re great, but there’s a lot of Doodles.
McIntyre: There are. In all seriousness, I just want to say I’m very glad. We always
want to see business that is no longer being used for its original purpose
being reused and very happy to be gaining a great vet practice that is
currently in other cities. I’m happy for you.
Nugent: Thank you.
Bahr: I do have one remaining question and maybe one of us have said it
already, I apologize. What is your primary reason for, you’re not moving
very far, what’s the reason you’re moving?
6
Nugent: We have run out of space, to be quite honest. We are leasing the building.
It is a very old building, unfortunately, it needs a lot of renovations. It
needs a complete overhaul. We’re currently functioning with two exam
rooms, so really, we have exceeded our capacity in that building, so we
need to expand in it, as well as being able to, just modernize the facility a
bit.
Toy: Just real quick. Doctor, where do you send your emergency cases, so if I
call you and my dogs have a problem, where do you send people?
Nugent: There are several. Typically, we send to Animal Emergency Center in
Novi. VS West or Oakland Veterinarian Referral Services typically.
Toy: Appreciate it, thank you very much. Thank you.
Bahr: All right, if there aren’t any further questions, we’ve got an approving
resolution from Councilman Jolly and the next Regular Meeting date for
th
this item will be on March 11. I’m sorry, thank you, are there any other
comments in the audience? Ok, the next Regular Meeting for tonight’s
item will be March 11, 2020. You or a representative should plan to be at
that meeting and actually, it will be an opportunity, it’s televised, so, if you
wish, it would be an opportunity to come and talk about your business
th
once again. March 11 it will be on the agenda, with that, I think we can
close the Public Hearing, we’re all set, thanks.
As there were no further questions or comments, the Public Hearing was declared
closed at 7:13 p.m.
CITY OF LIVONIA
PUBLIC HEARING
Minutes of Meeting Held on Wednesday, February 12, 2020
______________________________________________________________________
A Public Hearing of the Council of the City of Livonia was held at the City Hall
Auditorium on Wednesday, February 12, 2020.
MEMBERS PRESENT: Kathleen McIntyre, President (arrived at 7:03 p.m.)
Scott Bahr, Vice President
Rob Donovic
Jim Jolly
Brandon McCullough
Laura M. Toy
Cathy K. White
MEMBERS ABSENT: None
OTHERS PRESENT: Mark Taormina, Director of Economic Development
Paul Bernier, City Attorney
Sara Kasprowicz, Recording Secretary
The Public Hearing was called to order at 7:01 p.m. with Vice President Scott Bahr
presiding. This is a Public Hearing relative to Petition 2019-12-01-07 submitted by
Unleashed Pet Care Real Estate L.L.C., requesting to rezone the property located on
the east side of Middlebelt Road between Joy Road and West Chicago Avenue (9300
Middlebelt Road) in the Southwest ¼ of Section 36 from OS (Office Services) to C-1
(Local Business). This will be heard at the Regular Council Meeting of March 11, 2020.
The Public Hearing is now open. There were 5 people in the audience.
Bahr: With that, Mr. Taormina, if you want to give us your spiel?
Taormina: Thank you. Again, this is a rezoning petition involving property located on
Middlebelt Road. It is on the East side of Middlebelt, it’s between Joy
Road and West Chicago and it’s the former site of the Turowski Funeral
Home. This property sits on approximately ¾ of an acre. It is 230 feet of
frontage on Middlebelt Road and approximately 140 feet of frontage along
the side street; Hathaway. There’s a building on the site that measures
roughly 4,700 square feet in gross floor area. As you can see from this
aerial photograph, there’s parking on the North, East and South sides of
the building. The purpose of the rezoning is to enable the redevelopment
of this site as a veterinary clinic. The Petitioners this evening have a
contract to purchase the property. If successful in rezoning, they intend to
2
file waiver use application for the development of the veterinary clinic.
They will reuse the existing building for that purpose. The OS classification
which this is currently zoned as, does not allow veterinary clinics. The C-1
zoning, which they propose, will allow that subject to waiver use approval.
In terms of parking, there is more than enough parking to satisfy the needs
of the veterinary clinic. There are 53 spaces onsite. As we currently
estimate, there is only 22 spaces needed to support the proposed clinic.
Future land use plan shows this site as Corridor Commercial, so it is fully
aligned with the Livonia Vision 21. Planning Commission held a public
hearing on this item and is fully supporting the rezoning to C-1 (Public
Business). Thank you.
Bahr: Thank you. Are there any questions for the Planning Director?
White: Mr. Chair.
Bahr: Councilwoman Toy first, then White.
Toy: If I may, Mr. Chair, Mr. Taormina, on this facility, are they, I’m trying to
remember, are they allowed to keep pets overnight?
Taormina: They could if there was a licensed veterinarian on staff during the hours
that the pets are there. That question was asked during the Planning
Commission hearing and I believe they don’t have any intention of
boarding animals or having them stay overnight. If they do under an
emergency case, they would have somebody there to watch the pet. So,
I’ll let them explain the entirety.
Toy: I have another question for you, if I may. Outdoor, where they’re going to
walk the animals, you know, I don’t expect cats, but perhaps dogs, you
know. Is there space dedicated to that as well?
Taormina: There is not currently space, well there is ample room on the site for that,
there’s no areas that are improved for that purpose, meaning that it will
contain grass. They have every intention of providing an area somewhere
around the site, in fact, that is something they discussed with the Planning
Commission. They have some conceptual plans on what that would look
like. Again, that is something that will be reviewed in greater detail and
settled before Planning Commission for waiver use of approval.
Toy: Right. Right. I always like to get some of that up front. I realize that
sometimes that doesn’t really….
Taormina: They just brought in a conceptual project, so if you want to pass this out.
Toy: Perfect, thank you Mr. Chairman.
3
Bahr: Yeah, Councilwoman White?
White: I had the same question about boarding, so my question has been
answered, thank you.
Bahr: Any other questions for the Planning Director? Yes, Councilman Donovic?
Donovic: Is there a specific ordinance on what kind of animals they can and cannot
have? Are there restrictions? Can they only have certain kinds of animals
there?
Taormina: Not that I’m aware of.
Bahr: Ok, anybody else? All right, with that, we’ll go to the audience. If anyone
has any comments you want to make or any questions. Is the Petitioner
here?
Nugent: Good Evening, my name is Dr. Kari Nugent. I’ve been a Veterinarian for
the past 15 years, I own Unleashed Pet Care currently at 8645 N.
Middlebelt. To answer your questions, we are not going to board at the
facility. There may be an occasion where a pet needs to be held overnight.
Typically, that is not an ideal situation, we would prefer they be transferred
to an appropriate 24-hour facility. However, if that’s not possible,
appropriate veterinary staff will be on site at all times, if there is an animal
kept in the building. We do plan to have ample running space available so
that clients can walk their dogs for elimination purposes. After the last
meeting with the Planning Commission, we had to revise some of the
areas for green space to kind of open it up to not only be more
aesthetically pleasing, but also to offer more room for people to walk their
animals, keep them off of neighborhood lawns. As far as animal
restrictions, I’m a small animal Veterinarian, so realistically, we are talking
about dogs and cats and pocket pets, predominantly.
Jolly: Mr. Chair?
Bahr: Yes, Mr. Jolly?
Jolly: I’d like to offer an approving at this time.
Bahr: Yes, Councilwoman Toy?
Toy: Thank you. Yes, to the doctor, if I may? Doctor, on this special design, it
looks like some of the green space would go over where some of the
parking was.
4
Nugent: Correct.
Toy: I didn’t count the all, but it seems like there is quite a few. You still feel
comfortable, and with the City as well, the amount of spaces you do still
have left, correct?
Nugent: Yes, absolutely. In terms of the volume of our practice, realistically, we will
probably only be at a 2 and a half doctor practice, so we should have
ample room for parking. We did also talk with the Fire Marshall regarding
utilizing that thoroughfare as green space and he did give preliminary
approval that it was going to be satisfactory.
Toy: How long did you say you have been in business, 15 years?
Nugent: I have been a Veterinarian for 15 years. Unleashed Pet Care, I’ve owned
that practice for 13 years, technically. We’ve been at the present location
for 10.
Toy: Where is that at, is that in Westland?
Nugent: It is in Westland, so it is literally on the other side of Joy Road at 8645
Middlebelt.
Toy: Well great, I know that Councilman Jolly has offered an approving and
much success to you if you get the help.
Bahr: Thank you, Councilwoman Toy, you did it for me. I was going to apologize
for not formally acknowledging Councilman Jolly’s approving resolution, so
thank you for that. Any other questions?
McCullough: Yes, just one question, and I see it in the notes, but the sound abatement.
I’m very familiar with the property, I used to play street hockey there as a
child, but I do have some people that I know that actually butt adjacent to
the property. The sound abatement, I’m assuming, that the way you are
laying it out with the area where you would have cages be closer to the
back of it?
Nugent: No, we are working with an architect to specifically place the kennel area
more on the interior of the building, so that you have a little bit more
insulation. The sound, we are going to use sound eliminating insulation on
the exterior walls as well as an acoustic ceiling to, again, help minimize.
Realistically, as far as the aspect of barking. Without boarding, really, it’s
minimal. We have been, the current location is directly adjacent to a
residential area and we’ve never had any complaints or any issues with
barking. We do currently board and even in that situation we haven’t really
had any trouble with sound. We have also toyed with the idea of some
5
arboretums or some type of foliage at the back wall of the proposed green
space to also help to muffle any sound.
McCullough: That wall is a concrete wall, 5 feet or so. I think its great that you would be
looking at this building for your business and I wish you success. Thank
you.
Bahr: Councilwoman White?
White: For Kari, the Petitioner, could you tell us your hours of operation and days
that you’ll be open?
Nugent: We’re open Monday through Friday currently. Monday has, Friday we’re
open from 9am to 6pm. Tuesday as well, from 9am to 6pm. Wednesdays
currently are 9am to 2pm and then Thursdays from 9am to 8pm. As we
have more staffing, we will probably extend our hours a bit. We never
intend to be open on the weekend realistically, for the quality of life of all of
our staff, but we probably will extend hour to 8pm on several of the
weekdays.
White: Ok, thank you very much.
Bahr: Yes, Council President McIntyre?
McIntyre: So, now that the Standard Poodle won Westminster, do you expect to get
a lot of calls for people who want to get a Standard Poodle?
Nugent: Unfortunately, I think there’s going to be a lot of Doodles. The Doodle
trend is probably going to remain pretty strong.
McIntyre: And you’re not a fan of the Doodle trend?
Nugent: Doodles are great, they’re great, but there’s a lot of Doodles.
McIntyre: There are. In all seriousness, I just want to say I’m very glad. We always
want to see business that is no longer being used for its original purpose
being reused and very happy to be gaining a great vet practice that is
currently in other cities. I’m happy for you.
Nugent: Thank you.
Bahr: I do have one remaining question and maybe one of us have said it
already, I apologize. What is your primary reason for, you’re not moving
very far, what’s the reason you’re moving?
6
Nugent: We have run out of space, to be quite honest. We are leasing the building.
It is a very old building, unfortunately, it needs a lot of renovations. It
needs a complete overhaul. We’re currently functioning with two exam
rooms, so really, we have exceeded our capacity in that building, so we
need to expand in it, as well as being able to, just modernize the facility a
bit.
Toy: Just real quick. Doctor, where do you send your emergency cases, so if I
call you and my dogs have a problem, where do you send people?
Nugent: There are several. Typically, we send to Animal Emergency Center in
Novi. VS West or Oakland Veterinarian Referral Services typically.
Toy: Appreciate it, thank you very much. Thank you.
Bahr: All right, if there aren’t any further questions, we’ve got an approving
resolution from Councilman Jolly and the next Regular Meeting date for
th
this item will be on March 11. I’m sorry, thank you, are there any other
comments in the audience? Ok, the next Regular Meeting for tonight’s
item will be March 11, 2020. You or a representative should plan to be at
that meeting and actually, it will be an opportunity, it’s televised, so, if you
wish, it would be an opportunity to come and talk about your business
th
once again. March 11 it will be on the agenda, with that, I think we can
close the Public Hearing, we’re all set, thanks.
As there were no further questions or comments, the Public Hearing was declared
closed at 7:13 p.m.