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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPublic Hearing 2-26-2020 - SAD-NEC - STREET LIGHTING PROJECT - CAPRI COURT SITE CITY OF LIVONIA PUBLIC HEARING Minutes of Meeting Held on Wednesday, February 26, 2020 ______________________________________________________________________ A Public Hearing of the Council of the City of Livonia was held at the City Hall Auditorium on Wednesday, February 26, 2020. MEMBERS PRESENT: Scott Bahr, Vice President Rob Donovic Jim Jolly Brandon McCullough Laura M. Toy MEMBERS ABSENT: Kathleen McIntyre, President Cathy White OTHERS PRESENT: Mark Taormina, Director of Economic Development Paul Bernier, City Attorney Todd Zilincik, City Engineer Sara Kasprowicz, Recording Secretary The Public Hearing was called to order at 7:02 p.m. with Vice President Scott Bahr presiding. This is a Public Hearing relative to Proposed Special Assessment Street Lighting Project for the Capri Court Site Condominiums, located West of Farmington Road, South of Eight Mile Road, in the Northeast ¼ of Section 4. To Determine Necessity. This will be heard at the Regular Council Meeting of March 23, 2020. The Public Hearing is now open. There were 5 people in the audience. Bahr: To start off, we’ll go to you, Todd for the synopsis. Zilincik: Thank you, Councilman Bahr. I want to go over the proposed development, it is approximately sixteen lots and there is one out lot. It would be a public street. It is a total of seventeen lots on Farmington Road, South of Eight Mile, westside there, obviously that would be a public street and we want to make sure it is safe for pedestrians and for when snowplowing occurs by City forces. We are proposing five lights that DTE recommended. As we proceed forward, we can go into further detail, but typically, their standard protocol is the seventy-two-watt LED lights on fourteen-foot colonials. If you have any further questions, I’d be happy to answer those, but seventy-two-watts and the developer is paying for all of the cost related to the streetlights. We look forward to hopefully installing them, if approved, in the late fall. 2 Bahr: Questions for him? I have one. This is to determine necessity, is there any reason why this wouldn’t be necessary? I don’t see why it wouldn’t. Zilincik: Most of the lots, I think, are owned by the developer, but in case some people have a deterrent from not wanting streetlights, there is always that possibility, but obviously, we want to make it safe. There are going to be sidewalks, there are going to be plow lanes and public roads, so I think you said it before, our goal is to try to get these streets lighted, but everyone is entitled to their opinion. Donovic: I have a question, Todd. A potential resident, who buys a lot, can they push back against a light being installed on their parcel or in front of their house? For instance, if they don’t want a light in front of their house, can they argue that they don’t want one there? Move it? Zilincik: Typically, there is space, obviously, for illumination, you want to have coverage, but if there is an issue where there is a hydrant or something to that effect, we can shift it. Basically, if there’s a problem, there’s shields or there’s other issues. The seventy-two-watt LED lights, typically, they are not obtrusive, so we try to work with the developer, obviously, before people are aware of where the lights are going to be proposed. I don’t think they are obtrusive and try to work with the resident if there’s a shield or something else that needs to be done to help that case. Donovic: For my knowledge, I’m sure there is some kind of science behind how far the individual lights are spread between one another, right? Zilincik: DTE kind of has everybody all based on standards itself, so, we go by their recommendation and they provide the master agreement for us, then we execute that and then, yeah, we can tweak them a little bit, but we want to go by their standards and make sure it’s safe. Jolly: Mr. Chair? Bahr: Yes, Mr. Jolly? Jolly: I’ll make an approving motion on the basis of necessity. Bahr: Ok, anyone from the public that wants to speak on this? Baki: Sam Baki, 38901 Plymouth Rd, Livonia Michigan. I’m here on behalf of the developer, Leo Soave. Like some of the questions that came up, certain, or some of the new owners, usually, would like to not have the lights. I know its necessity for lighting, but a lot of times, it will be one, for smaller developments, it’s the cost for maintaining them, which that association has to pay for it. Two, safety, that people can drive through, and all that. 3 Three, with all the new exterior lighting on most of the homes nowadays, they have motion sensors. If you have lights, motion sensors don’t work as good if somebody’s driving by the sub in the middle of the night or whatever, but for safety too. We’ve had some homeowners who are buying, request to try to not have them. Jolly: Mr. Chair, if I may? Mr. Baki, we all appreciate your opinion and we respect what you’ve done here and what you continue to do in the community. These are, as you know, pretty standard through Livonia. I don’t see a reason to deviate at this point, especially, given the placement of this particular subdivision being so close to Eight Mile, I would think it’s probably warranted and useful in this perspective, just because of the location. Not that it’s a bad location, it definitely is not, but with proximity to two major roads like that, it could possibly invite explorers to explore the neighborhood, who would not necessarily be there. Thank you, sir. Bahr: Anything else, Mr. Baki? Baki: No, that’s it, thank you. Bahr: Ok, any other public comments? With that, we have an approving rd resolution, this will be taken up at the Regular Meeting on March 23. As there were no further questions or comments, the Public Hearing was declared closed at 7:09 p.m.