HomeMy WebLinkAbout1,171 - June 15, 2021 signedMINUTES OF THE 1,1715f PUBLIC HEARINGS AND REGULAR MEETING
HELD BY THE CITY PLANNING COMMISSION
OF THE CITY OF LIVONIA
On Tuesday, June 15, 2021, the City Planning Commission of the City of Livonia
held its 1,171It Public Hearings and Regular Meeting via Zoom Meeting Software,
Mr. Ian Wilshaw, Chairman, called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m.
Members present: David Bongero Glen Long Betsy McCue
Carol Smiley Peter Ventura Ian Wilshaw
Members absent: Sam Caramagno
Mr. Mark Taormina, Planning Director, Scott Miller, Planner IV, and Stephanie
Reece, Program Supervisor, were also present.
Chairman Wilshaw informed the audience that if a petition on tonight's agenda
involves a rezoning request, this Commission makes a recommendation to the City
Council who, in turn, will hold its own public hearing and make the final
determination as to whether a petition is approved or denied. The Planning
Commission holds the only public hearing on a request for preliminary plat and/or
vacating petition. The Commission's recommendation is forwarded to the City
Council for the final determination as to whether a plat is accepted or rejected. If a
petition requesting a waiver of use or site plan approval is denied tonight, the
petitioner has ten days in which to appeal the decision, in writing, to the City
Council. Resolutions adopted by the City Planning Commission become effective
seven (7) days after the date of adoption. The Planning Commission and the
professional staff have reviewed each of these petitions upon their filing. The staff
has furnished the Commission with both approving and denying resolutions, which
the Commission may, or may not, use depending on the outcome of the
proceedings tonight.
ITEM #1 PETITION 2021-05-01-03 AF Jonna
Ms. Smiley, Acting Secretary, announced the first item on the agenda, Petition
2021-05-01-03 submitted by A.F. Jonna pursuant to Section
23.01 of the City of Livonia Zoning Ordinance #543, as amended,
requesting to rezone the west 150 feet of the property at 37276
Six Mile Road, located on the north side of Six Mile Road between
Levan and Newburgh Roads in the Southwest '/4 of Section 8,
from C-1, Local Business to C-2, General Business.
Mr. Taormina: This is a request to rezone the property at 37276
Six Mile
Road.
It involves the westerly 150
feet of the subject
property.
The
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30027
request would change the classification from C-1 (Local
Business) to C-2 (General Business) This is the zoning map
showing the location of the property and as you will notice, the
site is surrounded by commercial land uses. To the east is the
Key Bank plaza, which is a multi -tenant shopping center that is
zoned C-2. To the north is the Zeal Credit Union zoned OS
(Office Services), and there are a variety of other commercial
land uses to the south and the west. This property is just over 1
(one) acre in size. It includes 180 feet of frontage along Six Mile
Road and has a depth of 270 feet. As I indicated, the west half
of the property is zoned C-1. The east 30 feet is zoned C-2. Both
of these zoning districts were established in the early 1970's.
Approval of this petition would place the entire 1.1 acres under
the C-2 classification. The site is the former Bank of America,
which was built around 1979 and has been vacant for a number
of years. As you can see, the existing building is two stories in
height and about 8,380 square feet in size. It contains drive-thru
facilities located on the north side of the building. Access to the
property is provided by two existing driveways on Six Mile Road.
This is the existing survey of the property. This is a conceptual
site plan. The purpose of the rezoning would be to allow for the
construction of a full -service automated car wash, which is
identified on the submitted plans as a Tommy's Express. Auto
wash establishments are treated as a waiver -use in the C-2
district. There are no provisions in the current C-1 zoning
regulations that would allow for such a use. The project would
require the demolition of the former bank building. The car wash
would be constructed on the east half of the property. The west
half would be used mainly for parking and about 19 self-service
vacuum stations. The vehicles would enter the site using the east
driveway and then proceed north to an area in the northeast
corner of the building where there would be pay stations. This
would include two side -by -side lanes. Vehicles would then loop
around the back of the building and enter the car wash and exit
out the south end and then have the option of either exiting on to
Six Mile Road or looping back north and entering the self -serve
vacuum stations. The Livonia Vision 21 Land Use Map shows
the subject area as Mixed -Development Center. With that, Mr.
Chairman, I can read out the departmental correspondence.
Mr. Wilshaw: Yes, please.
Or.
Taormina: The first item is from the Engineering Division, dated June 3,
2021, which reads as follows: "In accordance with your request,
the Engineering Division has reviewed the above referenced
petition. The property associated with the project is the address
of #37276 Six Mile Road. The legal description for the parcel
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30028
submitted with the drawings appears to be correct, and should be
used for future submittals, but the owner should provide a legal
description for the area that is to be rezoned. We have no
objections to the proposed rezoning at this time, although the
following items should be addressed prior to submitting plans for
site plan approvals: The submitted drawings do not indicate any
information for utility service leads or proposed water and sewer
demands for the proposed development. Without this information,
we cannot determine impacts to the existing systems. It should
be noted that special requirements may be imposed by the Great
Lakes Water Authority depending on the proposed wash water
discharge to the sanitary sewer system. The submitted ALTA
survey does not include a recorded sanitary and storm sewer
easement that runs across the east side of the property. It
appears that the easement is running in the area of the stacking
lanes to the east side of the building, but will need to kept free of
any proposed structures or foundations. (a copy of the easement
has been attached) Storm sewer, including storm water
detention will be required per the Wayne County Storm Water
Ordinance. We will perform a full review of the utilities once full
engineering drawings are submitted to this Department for
permitting. Please note that any work within the Six Mile Road
right-of-way, including excavations for service connections will
require permits through the Wayne County Department of
Public Services." The letter is signed by David W. Lear, P.E.,
Assistant City Engineer. The next letter is from the Finance
Department, dated June 7, 2021, which reads as follows: "I have
reviewed the addresses connected with the above noted petition.
As there are no outstanding amounts receivable, general or water
and sewer, I have no objections to the proposal." The letter is
signed by Connie Kumpula, Chief Accountant. The next letter is
from the Treasurer's Department, dated June 3, 2021, which
reads as follows: `In accordance with your request, the
Treasurer's Office has reviewed the address connected with the
above noted petition. At this time, there are no outstanding
amounts receivable for taxes. Therefore, I have no objections to
the proposal." The letter is signed by Lynda Scheel, Treasurer.
That is the extent of the correspondence.
Mr. Wilshaw: Are there any questions of the Planning Director?
Mr. Bongero: In regard to that storm sewer easement on the east side, do we
know how big of an easement it is? I know the bank used to favor
the west side of the property, and this new structure appears to
be going a little bit more to the east.
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30029
Mr. Taormina: I can only surmise from the letter from the Engineering
Department that while the building may not conflict with the
easement, there is no indication of any other structures that may
have an impact. I don't know. I don't have that information, Mr.
Bongero,
Mr. Bongero: Thank you.
Mr. Wilshaw: Thank you, Mr. Bongero. Any other questions for our planning
staff? Hearing no other questions, is our petitioner in the
audience? I believe they are. We have Mr. Jonna and probably
some of his other team members. I am going to give Mr. Jonna
a chance to unmute himself and introduce himself with his name
and address for our records.
Jordan Jonna, 4036 Telegraph Ste. 201, Bloomfield Twp., MI. I am also here with
Cliff Lunney, 4036 Telegraph, Ste. 200, Bloomfield, MI. He is
across the hall. We see a lot of each other. First, thank you for
having us tonight. As we discussed at the primary meeting, we
have a new development of a car wash. It is a unique car wash.
We feel it is a very strong brand. It is a new concept that. It is
actually an older concept that is formed out of Holland, Michigan.
The west side of the state. It started as a family company. It is a
franchise that is growing very rapidly. Besides Chick-fil-A, this is
the second largest franchise in the country, and it is based here
out of Michigan, Motor city Detroit. In looking for new concepts
we keep an eye out for an operation with good uses for our retail
portfolio, which we just finished one center over at Eight Mile and
Haggerty. We have another retail center at Plymouth and
Farmington in Livonia. So, we are not strangers to Livonia. We
have been there for quite a while. Cliff Lunney is also here with
me to dive into the concept a little bit more. We can talk about
any mixed -use planning or any questions that anyone has with
the proposed use. We are happy to talk about it in detail. We
want to be up front with everyone and show and talk about the
operation here. With that, Cliff can take this over.
Mr. Lunney Again, commenting on what Jordan said last week, we hope we
gave a pretty good overview of what Tommy's Express is. We
will touch on it a little bit for anyone that may be new to go over
some of the things. Tommy's Express is a very high -end efficient
car wash. Everything from the water usage down to the
environmentally friendly detergents to even the storm drain and
recycling the water that we can from that standpoint. It is very
very efficient in all of those avenues. The building is a very high -
end building. The structure is primarily glass. You can see on
the sides from the picture here that the sides and the actual roof
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30030
is also glass. The glass is actually maintained and washed on an
hourly basis based off the operations. The top of the car wash
actually has a roof that can raise itself and let out the humidity
too in times where the moisture gets really high. It is a very very
friendly car wash for all people. In the past, a car wash typically
is thought of...I hate to use the analogy, but in some of the older
car washes that are a little bit closed and brick buildings and
claustrophobic if you will, a lot of females didn't like using these
car washes. In our car washes we see over 50% of our usage is
actually from females. In the mixed -use comments, one of the
things that Tommy's tries to do is really get next to the grocery
store anchors or by the Target's or really fit into our customers or
neighbor's daily habits. Almost 80% of our business is done on
a membership basis. So, we have a typical member for us may
use the car wash as many as eight times a month to kind of give
you an idea. It is a frequent use and it becomes a part of the
community and really, from our end, really fits into this area very
very nicely. We are really excited about having this in front of you
right now.
Mr. Wilshaw: Thank you, Cliff. For everyone in our meeting this evening,
including our audience members, we are really looking at the
zoning of this property right now. This particular evening we are
considering the change of zoning from C-1 to C-2 and while we
may have some discussion about the use of the property and this
car wash use, you are not going to hear in-depth discussion about
the layout, the site, the colors and the design of the building
because that would come back to us at a future meeting where a
site plan approval would take place. The first step of the process
is zoning and that is what we are going to look at tonight, but there
may be some limited discussion about the use of the sight, given
the fact that they are proposing a car wash and we may need to
know further information about it. Mr. Jonna, is there anyone else
from your team with us this evening that would like to speak, that
you know of?
Jr.
Jonna: I believe Eric Williams is on . He is the civil engineer that could
dive into any detailed questions about the site plan and so forth.
Just to be up front with everyone, we understand that this is just
a zoning meeting. I understand that we cannot have an approval
for the car wash, but if we could just be open and discuss it so we
don't waste anyone's time a little bit. It may make everyone feel
a little bit better I would imagine. If the car wash is not something
that the city would like to see, there is no point in us coming back
and going forth through the time and effort into putting this there.
I understand that we cannot get approval on the car wash. I do
understand that, but if we could just have a small discussion
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30031
about the use of the property. Otherwise, it is a waste for us to
go through this zoning process. I understand, again, we
understand that we are not getting an approval on the use, but
just a discussion would be greatly appreciated if possible. I am
happy to talk about development, master planning, traffic, water,
and anything that is on anyone's mind about the use. I would be
happy to discuss in detail. We do a lot of developments
throughout Michigan and can talk about uses, master plans,
traffic, and so forth.
Mr. Wilshaw: We appreciate that Mr. Jonna. We will probably have some
discussion around the use of the site, obviously given that you
have the single use site proposed which is a car wash. That is
the reason you are looking to change the zoning because you
need the C-2 zoning for a car wash to be an appropriate use.
While we are discussing this, Mr. Taormina is flipping through
some of these slides to give our viewers a chance to see pictures
of what the proposal is and information about the business and
what the property will look like. That is always helpful and if you
need to refer to any of those slides, we can always mention which
one and then he will bring it up. So, is there anyone else from the
petitioner's team who is in our audience and wishes to speak on
the petition? If so, you can click on raise hand and then I will
make sure to get you unmuted. If there is no one else from the
petitioner's team right now who needs to speak then I will go to
the commissioners and see if there are any questions that
anybody on our commission has for our petitioner.
Mr. Long: To the petitioner, I personally do not have a problem with this
being a car wash. I do have concerns about traffic. I know we
did touch on traffic at the study session and you kind of discussed
how your car was works with a conveyor belt and the ability to
control traffic. Can you please elaborate on that and discuss that
for the record here? Thank you.
Mr. Jonna: Yes, of course. Traffic in any development is always a question.
We do do traffic studies and we find the best and let the experts
handle the rest. What is unique about a car wash is that the
stacking lanes are before you go in. When the cars pull in, that
is where the stacking is. That is where a majority of the wait time
is. When a car goes through the car wash, a typical track system
has only so much time between each car. Either you catch it on
one ... there are certain car lengths that go. This is on a conveyor
belt system so we can actually slow the traffic down or speed it
up. The majority of the stacking is before you go in. If there is a
back up of cars that are egressing the property, we can simply
slow the belt down and take a slower car wash through and let
June 15, 2021
30032
traffic ease up before we actually push cars out. The beauty with
the car wash is that it stacks before the car goes in and we can
control the output, which is a huge plus to traffic consultants. It is
a great avenue to control traffic with speed. When the timing
lights are timing and the systems are running, we know how to
run cars a little faster through to get them out or slow them down.
Mr. Long: So, I understand that and again certainly you do have a lot of
stacking room beforehand. I think you have three lanes there
so...I can understand that and that is a kind of unique intersection
with a couple Michigan left turns there and they kind of ... you have
the Jersey Mike's next door which I frequent from time to time and
know that it can be very hard just to turnout of that. That driveway
is pretty much right next to where your exit driveway would be.
My concern is going to be in the winter during your busy time and
everybody is getting their salt off their car, maybe you aren't
backing up going in, but it could be hard to turn right out of there
as there is a lot of people coming out of that Michigan left turn
lane. You have talked about the conveyor belt and how you
control that, and I like that system .... can you elaborate more on
how that is monitored? How many employees do you have
there? Who is watching that? Who is paying attention to the
traffic or the fact that they are stacking up that you don't have the
conveyor belt letting out a car into another car as they are backed
up on the exit?
Mr. Jonna: The true answer is as many as we need. We are not shy to have
as many employees as we need to have to make this the right
use for this site. Typically, in car washes, the traffic is 90%
majority is input not output. We will do everything we physically
possibly can with employees, with traffic consultants to make this
the best site. Typically, when you see a car wash, the stacking... I
have a car wash across the street from us and they have a one
or two car stacking to get out on to Telegraph and it backs up on
Telegraph before you get into the car wash, which we wouldn't
have that issue here because we have a very large stacking lane.
It is the input that usually gets backed up and how they ... they
maneuver cars into the tracks rather than the output, but simply
put, we will have as many employees as we need. We have a
minimum of three here and they are professional employees. It
is not a typical car wash where one guy is taking cash and
spraying down your car at the same time. That is not the
operation that we are looking for. That is not the operation we
will have. That is not the operation that I would ever want to be
a part of. We want to be a professional. Everyone is in uniforms
that are courteous and controlling every aspect of the business,
including traffic. I know that traffic is a major issue, but we are
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30033
able to stack a
lot of
cars
before they
even
touch the road, which
is a huge plus.
You
don't
see that in
many
car washes.
Mr. Lunney: I would just touch on the conveyor belt system. We don't have
someone guiding someone in and spraying, which can lead to
cars being backed up from that standpoint and really the
throughput on the front end that Jordan is talking about. Ours is
a conveyor belt where they drive on the conveyor belt takes you
and you go through. The same thing on the exit. We don't have
anyone that is hand drying the cars or anything from that
standpoint, so it allows them to immediately when they get done
there is no back up where a car will stack, or another car will stack
and then they start going. Ours are... by the time they get out
they can go right and exit and go to the vacuums or they exit on
to the road. That efficiency is really helping out a lot in the traffic
flow.
Mr. Long: Okay. Again, I think you have plenty of space for the input. I am
not worried about that, but I am worried about the output, but
again this is a zoning meeting, and I will yield my time. Thank
you.
Mr. Wilshaw: Thank you, Mr. Long. Any other commissioners wishing to speak
to our petitioner on this item?
Mr. Bongero: A question with regard to the wash water discharge. Can you
guys just explain just briefly now ... what you do to manage that
and the impact that it has on either the sanitary sewer or storm
sewers?
Mr. Lunney: Sure. To give you an example ... if you were to wash your car at
home you are going to run about 100 gallons of water on average.
On our car wash we run about 41 gallons. Of those 41 gallons
we recirculate almost 14 gallons. We run about 33% is
recirculated water based off of our tunnel system. What you can't
see there is the water actually goes down and it goes into a tank
system and then we recirculate as much of that water as we can.
The discharge is much less. We are probably looking at a
discharge total of about 28 gallons is what we are using
plus ... that doesn't show that there is another 13 recirculating
there. The discharge is probably going to be somewhere
between 15 and 19 gallons and of that discharge, again we are
trying to recirculate some of that also on there.
Mr. Bongero: So, none of the soapy water is going into the system?
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30034
Mr. Lunney: Yes, it is not going into the sewer system. No, we are
recirculating that.
Mr. Bongero: Okay.
Mr. Lunney: We can get ...as this goes on, we have very very detailed studies
that we can get the engineering and let them look at everything
from that standpoint. Just to give you an example, even the
waterline that comes into a facility .... we are typically using a
about a 2-inch water line and nothing bigger. A Jersey Mike's
probably has 1 '/ inch line if not a 2-inch. A 2-inch water line... we
don't have a tremendous demand on the water because of the
recirculating and what we do. Then we have a tank that always
stays full. We fill that up right off the bat and then that tank ... that
is what continues to recirculate. There is an evaporation too in
these. So, the evaporation rate is roughly 20% on a national
level. We do run into that also on here so that affects the
discharge also on that.
Mr. Bongero: There
is always
the issue of
oil, right?
I am
assuming you have
some
type of oil
separation...
what do you do
with that?
Mr. Lunney: Yeah. So, when that water comes down, we actually clean that
water, and it goes through a filter system that we have. That is
what we call the tank. That is underneath. That goes through
that. The discharge of oil and everything like that, you would not
see on the property from that standpoint. It is all filtered and
cleaned by us.
Mr. Bongero: Thank you.
Mr. Wilshaw: Thank you, Mr. Bongero. Any other questions for our petitioner?
Mr. Lunney: If I could just touch on the traffic count one more time. The
stacking model on the pages you were flipping through shows
pretty good... right here. So, Commissioner Long, the stacking is
in the ingress. The egress we can control. That is what gives us
the help of getting cars out on the road. We can literally give a
car a slower car wash, where the ingress will wait a little longer
and we could slow traffic which is the beauty of this whole system
too. That picture just kind of shows you can let one car out at a
time as we need.
Or.
Long: I get it. Thank you.
Mr. Wilshaw: Thank
you, Mr. Long.
Any
other questions or comments from any
of the
commissioners
for our petitioner?
June 15, 2021
30035
Mr. Ventura: Mr. Jonna, I don't recall you and I have ever met, but I have done
business with members of your family and the Jonna name is
generally associated with high quality developments and some
nice things here in town. However, I am not a supporter of your
petition. For a couple of reasons. Number one, there are at least
three car washes already in town between one and three miles
away from this location. If you look at where they are, they are
either associated with other service stations, automobile service
stations, or fast-food locations. This is not character of this area.
I am not supporting this C-2 zoning here, because it allows uses
that are out of character with the existing development around
this site. In addition, members of this commission and the city,
including Mr. Taormina have spent the last two years devising a
new master plan and the underlying rewrite of the ordinance. It
is a thoughtful plan and one of its major features is it allows some
very creative developments in a C-1 zoning district. I for one
would be interested in seeing what you or anybody else could do
in a C-1 zoning with the new zoning ordinance. So, I am not
prepared to vote for this and to trash the brand-new zoning
ordinance and master plan before the ink is even dry. I would be
interested in your bringing back something that was consistent
with the new master plan. I know your capabilities of your
organization. Thank you.
Mr. Wilshaw: Thank you, Mr. Ventura, for your comments. Is there any other
planning commissioners that have any comments to make or
questions to ask of our petitioner?
Ms. McCue: Just to kind of piggy -back off of what Mr. Ventura just said, I
guess I am curious as to what...) know we don't just decide to
plant a car wash somewhere, right? You have obviously done
some studies and some investigation, what was your thought
process as to why this is a good location for a car wash? Again,
Mr. Ventura said there are several car washes around this area.
Why do you think this was a good place for this particular one?
Mr. Wilshaw: Mr. Jonna?
Mr. Donna: Yes. First, I deal with a lot of master plans all the time in our
business and I do understand them very well. Master Plans in
my mind are a framework on what and how a grand scheme of
development should go. I personally think it is wrong that a
property sits for years and years with not much action on it. I did
check into the history on what was going on with this property in
the past. There has been very very little movement on this
property. Regardless of what zoning it is, there is always a
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30036
petition to say hey this is new life to this area. I am a firm believer
of bringing what works to a certain area. The car washes within
the distances are not the typical car wash that we want to
construct here. It is new. It is vibrant. It brings a woman shopper
to the area. I personally think this type of car wash should be in
master plans to bring the shopper to the area. I think in master
plans that there should also be cross -easements with inner
connection between the properties. I don't think that it should just
go out on to roads. I think these properties should be linked so
you can get a car wash and go to Jersey Mike's next door without
having to go out on to the road. I think that is more mixed use
than actually having a shopping center with a few different uses
in there. That is probably going to be a lot of traffic too to an area,
but this is an everyday traffic that brings the right shopper to the
right area. I am firm believer that this is a catalyst on new
development. I think in my mind it sparks something in this area
that is needed for a building that has sat vacant for four years. If
there was another use, it would have been here regardless of how
much and where and when and how. If there was an idea for this
property, it would have bloomed by now. I think this is a great
use for a property. I don't think auto driven should be looked
down upon. Auto is always going to be here, whether we are
driving, or a computer is driving us. The car should be clean and
safe. I like the inner connectivity. I am all for, and if you did
approve this and said they want future inner connectivity's
throughout the site, I would sign a future easement to connect
these sites when other areas are going to be redeveloped. To
look at this as a whole and let this one sit, I think this is a good
catalyst. It is a new edgy concept that brings life to this area and
a shopper for the most part. The woman is a shopper that would
get a car wash. Typically, they are brick buildings. I take my
wife's car to the car wash because she doesn't like going through
there. I like the ability to bring the right shopper to the right area,
especially in this district. It sparks a new development which
escalates from there. I personally think that this is the right use
for this property. I don't see another use. Maybe a new...I
couldn't even tell you what could go here right now. It has been
sitting vacant for a long time. It needs new life. This area needs
new life. I believe in pro -active developments. I know that
because I am a developer, of course, and I like new concepts,
new ideas, to bring new customers to shop and look and say
that's a cool concept that has been brought to the City of Livonia.
I personally like that. Three years ago now, and I know it is three
years because when I was going through the process of PUD
between Seven and Eight Mile on Haggerty Road, the idea of
multi -family came up. It wasn't in the thought process. It is a
huge shopping district with theatre, Costco, and next to a Costco
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30037
gas station, and we wanted to put multi -family. It was out of the
box. Thank goodness it works. It doesn't always fit the mold and
that is what makes areas good and great. My personal view on
development...I like being a little different. I like having the
edgiest concept come to an area and be the catalyst to say I am
going to that intersection now for that use and I am also going to
stop at Jimmy John's or Jersey Mike's or pick up the groceries.
Mr. Wilshaw: Mr. Donna, I certainly don't' want to speak for Ms. McCue, but I
believe her question was more targeted toward what research
have you done that this is an appropriate use for this area. Have
you done any research into the demand for a car wash in this
area to see that this is an appropriate location?
Mr. Donna I will comment on a couple of things. In regard to the other car
washes in the area, from our research the closest car wash that
is to the area is actually about a little over a mile away and that
car wash is actually in Northville. The next closest one is at Five
Mile and Levan. That is a great car wash, and we mean no
disrespect, but the car wash we are building is a completely
different car wash. That is an older car wash that has the block
building. We are building something that we try to have fit into
the community. To answer the question a little bit more, what
research we have done ... we look at the population within the
density of the area. We look at the traffic and we really want to
be partners into the habits that they currently have. Typically, in
the old school thought of a car wash is that you are going to get
into your car and specifically go to the car wash or the example
that you go to get gas and you go through the car was that is
attached to the gas station. This is nothing like that. This is more
like going to Busch's and getting your shopping done and you
know as you leave and going to go get a car wash either before
or after. We really look at this area as an area that fits into the
community surrounding with the neighbors and then also to the
current traffic flow that they are already on. We are not looking
to change peoples traffic flow, we are looking to enhance it and
be a part of their daily activity.
Mr. Wilshaw: Okay. Ms. McCue, does that answer your question?
As.
McCue: I think so.
Mr. Wilshaw: Okay, good. I just wanted to make sure you had....
As.
McCue: I appreciate you restating that, but (...thank you.
June 15, 2021
30038
Mr. Wilshaw: Your welcome. I don't really want to speak for you, but I want to
make sure you had a succinct answer to your question. Thank
you. Anyone else with questions or comments from the
commission for our petitioner?
Mr. Bongero: For the petitioners, no disrespect or anything, but you have often
referred to this car wash as a draw for women. Is that a statistic
that is shown with this car wash throughout the United States,
that it is a draw to the women of the area? I see that if it is a good
car wash people will go to it. I just don't see the reason why
women are going to be drawn to that, because I don't know if my
wife would be but maybe some would. I don't know. That is the
angle you guys were pushing. Can you please explain that to
me? Is that how it has been proven across the United States at
all of the other car washes?
Mr. Lunney: There are a lot of national studies and obviously there are
different areas and that have different impacts, but the mentality
or a lot of the older studies would show that car washes is more
on the male side than the female side. In our internal numbers
that we have, we see almost 60% of our customers as female.
That is where we get this. It does drive... what it does is it has
them frequent the area a little bit more than they would if they
typically weren't. If they go grocery shopping once or twice a
week, sometimes they have the car wash that is added another
time that they are in the area, and they are going through.
Mr. Jonna: The open concept throughout Tommy's has been well received
for the woman customer too. Being an open glass concept
instead of a brick building is a major plus on their surveys and
their statistical data that they collect. It is through their customer
base is where that information is gathered.
Mr. Lunney: The only other thing that we can add to that is as you see a car
wash... you know our car wash doesn't involve someone on the
front end and sometimes you will have...I have had the
experience of going to the car wash and someone is kind of
forcefully a little bit more in your face and saying come on pull up
now put it in neutral and some of that. We don't have any of that.
They drive up on the conveyor belt and there is a real ease that
females tend to have on that. Same thing on the way out. On
the way out, yeah we don't have two or three males going over
the car and leaning over the windshield and wiping everything
done. It's just not part of our system, our automated system. We
think... there are still statistics that show that, but there is certainly
a comfort level that I think a female has on that.
June 15, 2021
30039
Mr. Bongero: Thank you.
Mr. Wilshaw: Thank you, Mr. Bongero. Any other questions or comments for
our petitioner before we go to our audience? If not, I do have one
sort of follow-up question to sort of dove tail off of some of the
previous questions for you, Mr. Jonna, and that is regarding the
environmental impact to this site. We see with gas stations, for
example, they put a very significant impact on the property in
terms of gas tanks and other things that get put underground
which make the site very difficult to re -use in the future for any
other purpose because of the changes that are made to that site.
My question is, in regard to this as a car wash, if this property is
converted to a car wash, what sort of impact is there to this site if
this car wash were not to succeed or 10, 20, 30 years into the
future they decide to close and put something else on this
property? What sort of remediation or work is involved to make
this site usable for a different purpose in the future? Or is it not
always going to be a car wash going forward? If you could speak
to that Mr. Jonna.
Mr. Jonna: There is no environmental impact that we know of. We have
looked into that quite a bit with Tommy's Express. If this didn't
make it as a car wash and building came down, you could use
this land as virtually anything. There are ways to clean up and
mitigate land too, but this is not going to be that case. There is
not an environmental impact that would negatively affect the
future life of this land, by any means.
Mr. Wilshaw: Okay, so there is nothings put underneath the car wash in terms
of a track or mechanicals or oil collection or any of those type of
things that happen underneath the ground?
Mr. Jonna The tank we maintain and clean, but that would not be an
environmental impact, no.
Mr. Wilshaw: Okay, good to know. If there is no other questions from any of
our commissioners at this time...
Ms. McCue: Can I just double-click on that one?
Mr. Wilshaw: Definitely Ms. McCue.
As.
McCue: So, what we are saying is that the previous properties that you
had have had no environmental issues that you know of, or...l
guess with me coming from the banking industry right, we know
there is always going to be an environmental questionnaire. You
are saying that the properties that you have had and that have
June 15, 2021
30040
used
this same type,
this
same franchise of
car washes, have, to
your
knowledge, not
had
any environmental
issues? Correct?
Mr. Donna: For Tommy's Express, this particular car wash. Not an older car
wash that had huge hydraulics... it's not that type of system, no.
This is a whole different system on how they do it. Environmental
is a huge factor in Tommy's Express because it is a car wash.
They take extra measures, and they actually even donate part of
every car wash goes to a water fund also or third world countries.
Environmental is a huge factor on their publicity for this company.
No. I do not see anything that would harm this land for future use.
If there was there would be a due -care plan in place. There is
not, no. We would test the land and make sure it is right, but no.
there is not anything that Tommy's Express has that would impact
the future of this land beyond a car wash.
Ms. McCue: Thank you.
Mr. Wilshaw: Thank you, Ms. McCue, for that follow-up question. I do
appreciate that. Anything else from any of our commissioners?
If not, I will go to our audience and see if there is anyone wishing
to speak for or against this petition? If so, you can click raise
hand and when you do that, I will give you an opportunity to
speak. I don't see anyone in our audience clicking the raise hand
to speak on this item, so I will ask for anybody else on the
commission one more time if there are any questions or
comments before I go to our petitioner for the last comment? I
don't see any questions from any of the commissioners. Mr.
Jonna, any final comments before we close the public hearing?
Mr. Donna: No. Just thank you very much for listening tonight and for your
time.
Mr. Wilshaw: Okay. I will close the public hearing and a motion would be in
orderI
On a motion by McCue, seconded by Ventura, and adopted, it was
#06-29-2021 RESOLVED, That pursuant to a Public Hearing having been held
by the City Planning Commission on June 15, 2021, on Petition
2021-05-01-03 submitted by A.F. Jonna pursuant to Section
23.01 of the City of Livonia Zoning Ordinance #543, as amended,
requesting to rezone the west 150 feet of the property at 37276
Six Mile Road, located on the north side of Six Mile Road between
Levan and Newburgh Roads in the Southwest '/4 of Section 8,
from C-1, Local Business to C-2, General Business, the Planning
June 15, 2021
30041
Commission does hereby recommend to the City Council that
Petition 2021-05-01-03 be denied for the following reasons:
1. That the petitioner has failed Loaffirmatively show that the
proposed change of zoning is necessary and is needed to
utilize the property.
2. That the proposed zoning change is not supported by The
Livonia Vision 21 (LV21) Future Land Use map which shows
this site as a Mixed Development Center. The Master Plan
specifies that automotive -oriented uses such as gas
stations, auto repair, or drive -through facilities, are not
appropriate in this envisioned pedestrian friendly category.
3. That it has not been shown that the proposed change of
zoning and the intended use of the property as a full -service,
automated carwash would be compatible to and in harmony
with the surrounding uses in the area, particularly with
respect to the normal traffic flow and circulation patterns in
the area, and
4. That the proposal fails to conclusively deal with all the
concerns deemed necessary for the safety and welfare of
the City and its residents.
FURTHER RESOLVED, That notice of the above hearing was
given in accordance with the provisions of Section 23.05 of
Zoning Ordinance #543, as amended.
Mr. Wilshaw: Is there any discussion?
A roll call vote on the foregoing resolution resulted in the following:
AYES: McCue, Bon gero, Smiley, Ventura, Wilshaw
NAYS: Long
ABSENT: Caramagno
ABSTAIN: None
Mr. Wilshaw, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution
adopted. It will go on to City Council with an approving resolution.
ITEM #2 PETITION 2021-05-02-08 Community Financial
Ms. Smiley, Acting Secretary, announced the next item on the agenda, Petition
2021-05-02-08 submitted by Community Financial Credit Union
requesting approval of all plans required by Sections 11.03(n) of
June 15, 2021
30042
the City of Livonia Zoning Ordinance No. 543, as amended, in
connection with a proposal to construct a freestanding credit
union with drive-thru facilities within the parking lot of the Mid-5
Shopping Center at 29441 thru 29583 Five Mile Road, located on
the south side of Five Mile Road between Middle Belt and Henry
Ruff Roads in the Northeast'/4 of Section 23,
Mr. Taormina: This is a request to construct a credit union with drive -up facilities
at the Mid -Five Shopping Center located at the southwest corner
of Five Mile and Middlebelt Roads. The overall shopping center
site measures around 9.5 acres. It contains an 86,000 square
foot L-shaped shopping complex. As you can see from the aerial
photograph the store fronts face both Middlebelt Road to the east
and north toward Five Mile Road. The main tenants in the
shopping center are ACE Hardware and Los Tres' Amigos
Restaurant. The majority of the parking is located between the
storefronts and the adjacent roads. The credit union is proposed
in the area of the parking lot that is here, adjacent to Middlebelt
Road. Most of the site, as you can see from this map, is zoned
C-2 (General Business). The C-2 category allows for banks and
credit unions as a permitted use; however, any form of drive -up
facility's is treated as a waiver -use. The proposed credit union
would be located in the easterly part of the main parking lot. The
building would be one-story in height and approximately 3,600
square feet in size. The main entrance is in the southeast corner
of the building facing Middlebelt Road.
Mr. Wilshaw: Mr. Taormina, I hate to tell you, but we don't see your screen.
Ms. McCue: You're not sharing your screen.
Mr. Taormina: How about now? I apologize. Just to go back really quick, this is
the zoning map that I referenced previously and the aerial
photograph identifying the location of the site where the credit
union is proposed. The site consists of this entire area. This is
the L-shaped building that I referenced, and this is the pad for the
proposed credit union which is the same area identified on the
rendered site plan. The proposal is to construct a one-story
building about 3,600 square feet with the main entrance facing
Middlebelt Road. Parking will be available on the north, east, and
south sides of the building. The site plan shows a new driveway
on to Middlebelt Road that would be restricted to right -in and
right -out movements only. The site would also be accessible to
two other locations within the shopping center drive -aisles. One
here in the northwest corner of the site and the other in the
southwest corner. The building itself would be setback 65 feet
from Middlebelt Road which is conforming. The drive -up
June 15, 2021
30043
operations would be on the west side of the building and would
include an overhead canopy that measures roughly 40 x 28 and
11 feet in height. There would be three service lanes where the
drive -up customer traffic would commence along the north side
of the building and then wrap around the west side. There
appears to be ample stacking and the lane widths appear to be
adequate as well. Once a transaction is complete the vehicle
would have the option of either looping back around the building
and exiting on Middlebelt Road southbound or exiting out to the
drive -aisle in the shopping center where there is another access
point onto Middlebelt Road a little further from the intersection
that would allow for left-hand turns. One minor issue is the fact
that there is no by-pass lanes, so if a vehicle commits itself to the
turn here, it really has no chance of exiting the drive -up service
lanes. That opportunity only exists along the north side, but it is
not a major issue for bank properties as it is for some restaurants.
No dumpster enclosure is shown which is not uncommon for
banks and credit unions. They usually handle that separately
within the building and hire a service to pick up the trash for
obvious security reasons. All site lighting shown is 20 feet in
height. In terms of the design of the building, it would be a mix of
face -brick, stone, and E.I.F.S. As you can see, the main entrance
would be defined by a tower element. The building would have a
peaked roof line that would be covered in asphalt shingles. The
overall height at the tallest point is 24 feet 6 inches. The drive -up
canopy would actually contain some similar features including the
peaked roof and stone columns and asphalt shingles. I don't
have a photograph of that, but the rendering does show how the
canopy extending out would consist of the same features and
materials. A fully detailed landscaping plan was submitted with
the application, and it shows trees and shrubs around the
building. Some of the trees in the landscape islands would be
replaced. We are suggesting that a couple more trees be added
to the southeast corner of the site with frontage on Middlebelt
Road. In terms of parking, the required parking for the overall
shopping center, including the credit union, is based on a ratio of
1 space for each 160 square feet of usable floor area. As it exists,
today Mid -Five currently requires 430 parking spaces. Currently
there are 448 parking spaces. The site without the credit union
has a surplus of 18 parking spaces. When you add the increased
parking demand for the credit union and the reduction in parking
spaces with the development, that changes the parking
requirement to 448 spaces. The site plan, however, shows a total
of 430 spaces that would be available. Thus, the site would go
from having a surplus of 18 parking spaces to a deficiency of 18
spaces. Under the new Livonia Vision 21 Zoning Ordinance, the
parking requirement would be roughly 420 spaces. Depending
June 15, 2021
30044
on timing, parking may not be an issue. They may not have to go
to the Zoning Board of Appeals. It depends on how quickly the
new Livonia Vision 21 Zoning Ordinance is adopted by City
Council. It may erase the need for any variance with respect to
parking. Underground detention is shown here in the north part
of the site. We haven't analyzed the project for any signage, but
they would be entitled by one wall sign and a ground sign if this
property is split off from the parent shopping center property. With
that, Mr. Chairman, I can read out the departmental
correspondence.
Mr. Wilshaw: Yes, please.
Mr. Taormina: The first item is from the Engineering Division, dated May 14,
2021, which reads as follows: "In accordance with your request,
the Engineering Division has reviewed the above referenced
petition. The property associated with the project is assigned the
address ranges of #29441 thru #29583 Five Mile Road, with the
address of #29441 Five Mile Road being assigned to the overall
parcel. We have no objections to the proposed project at this
time, although the following items should be addressed prior to
submitting plans for permitting: The submitted drawings indicate
proposed service leads for the utilities that will need to be revised.
The sanitary sewer lead is shown connecting to a manhole that
does not exist. The only public sanitary sewer main available for
a service connection is located on the south side of Five Mile
Road. Also, the proposed sewer lead is shown crossing through
the built-up patio area of the existing restaurant. The water lead
is shown connecting to an existing private line that services the
plaza to the west of the proposed site. Connections to private
mains are not allowed if the parcel is to be split from the overall
plaza property, orhave a different owner than the plaza. Wateris
available on the east side of Middlebelt Road to service the
proposed building. Storm sewer, including storm water detention
will be reviewed by Wayne County as they have jurisdiction of the
existing storm sewer within the Middlebelt Road right -of- way. We
will perform a full review of the utilities once full engineering
drawings are submitted to this Department for permitting. Please
note that any work within the Middlebelt Road right-of-way,
including excavations for service connections will require permits
through the Wayne County Department of Public Services." The
letter is signed by David W. Lear, P.E., Assistant City Engineer.
The next letter is from the Livonia Fire & Rescue Division, dated
May 18, 2021, which reads as follows: "This office has reviewed
the site plan submitted in connection with a request to construct
a commercial building on property located at the above
referenced address. We have no objections to this proposal."
June 15, 2021
30045
The letter is signed by Greg Thomas, Fire Marshal. The next
letter is from the Division of Police, dated June 4, 2021, which
reads as follows: "1 have reviewed the plans in connection with
the petition. I have no objections to the proposal." The letter is
signed by Scott Sczepanski, Sergeant, Traffic Bureau. The next
letter is from the Inspection Department, dated June 7, 2021,
which reads as follows: "Pursuant to your request, the above
referenced Petition has been reviewed. 1. Parking spaces are
required to be 10' x 20' and double stripped. 2. Signage has not
been reviewed at this time. A variance from the Zoning Board of
Appeals would be required for any Signage not in compliance with
the sign ordinance. 3.The proposed plan does not show a
dumpster enclosure. The Commission and or Council may wish
to address how trash will be stored and collected on site. 4. The
number of parking spaces proposed for this entire site will be
deficient. A variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals would be
required to maintain this deficiency. This Department has no
further objections to this Petition. " The letter is signed by Jerome
Hanna, Director of Inspection. The next letter is from the Finance
Department, dated May 19, 2021, which reads as follows: "I have
reviewed the addresses connected with the above noted petition.
The following water bill charges are due to the City of Livonia:
29483 Five Mile (due 6/10/21): $3,196, 07, 29553 Five Mile (due
6110121 ): $ 105.20, 29567 Five Mile (due 6110121 ): $ 181, 72,
29571 Five Mile (due 6/10/21): $ 111.78, 29577 Five Mile (due
6110/21): $ 474.90, 29583 Five Mile (due 6110121 including
$261.96 past due): $ 550.12. Total Due City of Livonia
$4,619.79" The letter is signed by Connie Kumpula, Chief
Accountant. The next letter is from the Treasurer's Department,
dated May 27, 2021, which reads as follows: `In accordance with
your request, the Treasurer's Office has reviewed the address
connected with the above noted petition. At this time, there are
no outstanding amounts receivable for taxes. Therefore, I have
no objections to the proposal." The letter is signed by Lynda
Scheel, Treasurer. That is the extent of the correspondence.
Mr. Wilshaw: Are there any questions of the Planning Director?
Mr. Bongero: Mark, the letters from Engineering and the city ... they are at least
a month old. Did some of that information change? I know that
the water issue came up about the water bills last week and then
the sanitary sewer connection...I think the petitioner stated that
they were getting an easement from the owner of the shopping
center.
Mr. Taormina: That is
correct. This
issue did
come up
at the
study
meeting last
week.
The petitioner
is aware
of all the
issues
that
were outlined
June 15, 2021
30046
by the various departments, and I believe they are addressing
those, including where the new utility connections would come
from and any past due water bills. I am assuming they have been
taken care of but that is something that council won't advance
unless all past due bills are taken care of. I can assure you of
that.
Mr. Bongero: Thank you.
Mr. Wilshaw: Thank you, Mr. Bongero. Any other questions from the
commissioners for our planning staff?
Ms. Smiley: How important is that pass lane, Mark? Did they think about
having just two lanes or outside service drive-thru?
Mr. Taormina: You are going to have to ask that question to the petitioner. As
far as how important it is, we have seen these situations in the
past. The objective is to provide an opportunity to go around the
drive -up facility when you choose not to use it, for whatever
reason, either you make an errant turn, or it is too busy. In this
case, depending on where you are in the queue, you may be able
to backup and exit out this driveway. I don't think it is a significant
issue in this case because of the proximity of this opening right
here. I would not like to see the elimination of this green space
in favor of a traffic lane. I think it is something we can live with. I
am guessing their prototype calls for these three service lanes. I
will let them answer that question, whether or not they can live
with two.
Ms. Smiley: That is
exactly where I was
going. I
thought where that green
space was would be a good
drive-thru,
but I would not like to see
that be
made a drive-thru or
a or pass
lane. Thank you.
Mr. Wilshaw: Thank you, Ms. Smiley. Any other questions of our planning staff
from any of our commissioners? If not, I believe our petitioner is
here in the audience this evening. If you can please click raise
hand and we will get you acknowledged and allow you to talk
about your petition. We have Mr. Clark. Good evening, Mr. Clark.
You can unmute yourself and introduce yourself with name and
address to start.
Doug Clark, Case Group, 28175 Haggerty Road, Novi, MI 48377. If there are any
questions that I can't answer, certainly one of my group will chime
in.
Mr. Wilshaw: Great. We
will call on them or they
can always raise
their hand
if
they feel it
is appropriate time for
them to make a
comment
in
June 15, 2021
30047
regard to any of our questions. Thank you. Is there anything you
would like to say at this time in terms of presenting this credit
union to us for approval?
Mr. Clark: I can give you a little bit of background on the credit union and we
have done work with them... this is our fifth project with them
actually all over the State of Michigan. It is our second project
with them in Livonia. They purchased an existing bank branch
on Seven Mile and did a total renovation of it. We helped them
find that location and have built three other locations with them
as well. We helped them locate them and design them and build
them. We have done quite a bit of work with them over the years.
The credit union was started in 1951. It is the employees of the
Daisy Air Rifle Company which was started in Plymouth Michigan.
They now have 13 different locations all over the state. A little
over a billion in assets. We basically built this same particular
prototype in all of their different locations that we have done so
far. It is quite an attractive location. it has done really well for
them. The closest other location is in Westland and in Wixom
that looks pretty much exactly like what we are proposing here.
That is kind of a little background on the project. We certainly
have folks available... any technical questions we can answer for
you.
Mr. Wilshaw: Wonderful. Thank you for the presentation. We will see if we
have any questions from any of the commissioners in regard to
this petition? Anyone on the commission wishing to make
comment or ask questions?
Ms. Smiley: Do you really need those three drive-thru lanes?
Mr. Clark:Typically, what happens is with credit unions, and (...this
isn't my only credit union. I have 50 different credit unions that I
work with all over the state... typically they have the first lane is
an ATM lane. The other two lanes are drive-thru' s. This is very
typical of what is being done right now.
As.
Smiley: Okay. If you need them, you need them, I guess. Thank you, sir.
Mr. Clark: It is obviously for the convenience of the members. It is pretty
typical.
As.
Smiley: Thank you.
Mr. Wilshaw: Great. Any other questions from any of the other commissioners?
I don't hear any questions at this time. Is there anyone in the
audience wishing to speak for or against this petition? If so, you
June 15, 2021
30048
can click raise hand. I don't see anyone raising their hand. I will
go back to the commission one more time and see if there is
anybody on the commission with any questions or comments.
Mr. Taormina: Question on the landscape plan, if I may. I am looking here at
the front of the building. What is the typical treatment along the
foundation? I see that you have some distance between the
sidewalk and the face of the building. It says rock edge, but I
don't see any shrubbery or any landscape material. I am
assuming that this is something that could be supplemented with
additional plantings along the front of the building.
Mr. Clark: If there is room, certainly not opposed to that at all.
Mr. Taormina: I am looking at this photo and 1 don't know if this is the final
treatment. I have to say that it is not appealing at all if this is the
end result.
Mr. Clark: That picture that you are looking at is before any landscaping has
even been done. Usually, what they do around the building is
they like to have rock right up against it because if you have grass
it is difficult to maintain that. They like some kind of rocks up
against the building. I am sure they are not opposed to some
types of bushes or various different landscaping other than right
up against the building.
Mr. Taormina: May I make that suggestion, Mr. Chairman? If with any resolution
to approve this item...I know we addressed a number of issues
in that resolution, but maybe the submission of a landscape plan
for the foundation of the building to include a variety of plant
materials, shrubs, and flowers and then irrigation. I think it would
be appropriate.
Leslie Accardo, PEA, 2430 Rochester Court, Ste 100, Troy, MI 48083. I just
wanted to point out that we do have a note on the drawings that
indicate that foundation plantings will be detailed during the
construction drawing phase. There is an intent to put some
shrubbery and perhaps even some sod in those areas, but it
would definitely be landscaped.
Mr. Wilshaw: It is right at the top of your screen there, Mr. Taormina.
Mr, Taormina: I apologize if I missed that. I did not see that. You're saying that
the note is up there?
Ms. Accardo: Yes. Just scroll up there a little bit. It is right outside the building
actually.
June 15, 2021
30049
Mr. Wilshaw: There is an arrow pointing to the building.
Ms. Accardo: upper left.
Mr. Wilshaw: There it is. Right there.
Mr. Taormina: Okay. Thank you. I didn't want to see it be just plain rock.
Mr. Wilshaw: Do you think that is an adequate notation there, Mr. Taormina?
Or should we just add the detail to our resolution as to ensure?
Mr. Taormina: I would feel more comfortable if it is added to the resolution.
Thank you.
Mr. Wilshaw: Thank you, Mr. Taormina. Thank you, Ms. Accardo, for pointing
that out to us. Is there anyone else with any questions for our
petitioner on the commission?
Mr. Ventura: This would be for Ms. Accardo or Mr. Clark. During the study
session we talked about land banking the 16 parking spaces to
the north of the site and immediately south of the service station
that is on the corner. We had observed that there are a number
of mature trees that are in that are now. If those...I guess the first
question is, are you willing to landbank those parking spaces and
number two, if you do, are you willing to preserve the mature trees
that are now in the blind between the service station and the site?
Mr. Clark: Yes, absolutely. We are willing to do that. We would actually
prefer the trees to stay there. As long as Mr. Kornmeier agrees,
we would like to landbank those parking spots.
Mr. Ventura: Thank you.
Mr. Wilshaw: That is a great comment, Mr. Ventura. Thank you for that. Is
there anyone else with any questions or comments for the
petitioner? Again, I will go around one more time and see if there
is anyone else in the audience that wishes to speak on this item.
If not, I will close the public hearing. Mr. Clark, you get the final
word before we make any resolutions. Is there anything else you
would like to add?
Mr. Clark: Just appreciate your time tonight and I think an additional location
for Community Financial will do very well there. Looking forward
to working with you.
June 15, 2021
30050
Mr. Wilshaw: Great. Thank you. If there is no further questions or comments,
I will close the public hearing and a motion would be in order.
On a motion by Bongero, seconded by McCue, and unanimously adopted, it was
#06-30-2021 RESOLVED, That pursuant to a Public Hearing having been held
by the City Planning Commission on June 15, 2021, on Petition
2021-05-02-08 submitted by Community Financial Credit Union
requesting approval of all plans required by Sections 11.03(n) of
the City of Livonia Zoning Ordinance No. 543, as amended, in
connection with a proposal to construct a freestanding credit
union with drive-thru facilities within the parking lot of the Mid-5
Shopping Center at 29441 thru 29583 Five Mile Road, located on
the south side of Five Mile Road between Middle Belt and Henry
Ruff Roads in the Northeast '/< of Section 23, the Planning
Commission does hereby recommend to the City Council that
Petition 2021-05-02-08 be approved subject to the following
conditions:
1. That the Preliminary Dimension Plan identified as Drawing
Number C-3.0, dated May 14, 2021, prepared by PEA
Group, is hereby approved, and shall be adhered to.
2. That in accordance with Section 18.37 (j) of the Zoning
Ordinance, the shopping center shall "bank" the sixteen (16)
parking spaces located on the north side of the Credit Union
and defer construction of such parking spaces in order to
preserve the existing berm and landscaping.
3. That the owner of the shopping center shall agree in writing
to install such landbanked parking within one hundred eighty
(180) days of a City Council resolution in which it is
determined that such additional parking is needed.
4. That the shopping center's entire parking lot shall be
repaired, resealed, and restriped as necessary to the
satisfaction of the Inspection Department, including any
damaged or missing curbs shall be replaced, including all
such curbs around the parking lot landscape islands.
Parking spaces shall be doubled striped at ten feet (10')
wide by twenty feet (20') in length.
5. That within two (2) years from the date of City Council
approval of this petition, the fagade of the shopping center
shall either be replaced or painted, or the owner shall submit
plans required by Section 18.58 of the City of Livonia Zoning
June 15, 2021
30051
Ordinance #543, as amended, to remodel the exterior of the
Mid-5 Shopping Center.
6. That the Preliminary Landscape an identified as Drawing
Number L-1.0, dated May 14, 2021, prepared by PEA
Group, is hereby approved, and shall be adhered to, except
that additional foundation plantings around the building and
additional full-size deciduous trees shall be planted in the
southeast corner of the Credit Union property as deemed
appropriate by the Planning Department.
7. That all disturbed lawn areas shall be sodded in lieu of
hydroseeding.
8. That underground sprinklers are to be provided for all
landscaped and sodded areas and all planted materials
shall be installed to the satisfaction of the Inspection
Department and thereafter permanently maintained in a
healthy condition.
9. That the New Work Exterior Elevations Plan identified as
Sheets No. A-301 and A-302, both dated May 3, 2021, as
revised, prepared by MacDonell Associates, are hereby
approved, and shall be adhered to.
10. That all rooftop mechanical equipment shall be concealed
from public view on all sides by screening that shall be of a
compatible character, material, and color to other exterior
materials on the building.
11. Subject to a determination by the Inspection Department,
the owner of the shopping center may be required to obtain
a variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals for deficient
parking and any conditions related thereto.
12. That the petitioner will need to provide the City of Livonia
Engineering Division with drawings and details indicating
the utility connections to the existing public water main,
sanitary and storm sewers and the impacts to these existing
systems prior to obtaining permits for the proposed
development.
13. That the proposed construction shall meet the Wayne
County Stormwater Ordinance, including detention
requirements, and the Petitioner shall secure all required
permits, including soil erosion and sedimentation control.
June 15, 2021
30052
14. That all new pole -mounted light fixtures shall not exceed a
height of twenty feet (20') and shall be aimed and shielded
to minimize stray light trespassing across property lines and
glaring into adjacent roadways.
15. That only conforming wall signage is approved with this
petition, and any additional signage shall be separately
submitted for review and approval by the Zoning Board of
Appeals.
16. That no LED lightband or exposed neon shall be permitted
on this site including, but not limited to, the building or
around the windows.
17. That unless approved by the proper local authority, any type
of exterior advertising, such as promotional flags, streamers
or sponsor vehicles designed to attract the attention of
passing motorists, shall be prohibited.
18. That the specific plans referenced in this approving
resolution shall be submitted to the Inspection Department
at the time the building permits are applied for; and
19. Pursuant to Section 19.10 of Ordinance #543, the Zoning
Ordinance of the City of Livonia, this approval is valid for a
period of one (1) year only from the date of approval by City
Council, and unless a building permit is obtained, this
approval shall be null and void at the expiration of said
period.
FURTHER RESOLVED, That notice of the above hearing was
given in accordance with the provisions of Section 19.05 of
Zoning Ordinance #543, as amended.
Mr. Wilshaw: Is there any discussion?
Mr. Wilshaw, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution
adopted. It will go on to City Council with an approving resolution.
ITEM #6 APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1,170t" Public Hearings and
Regular Meeting
As.
Smiley, Acting Secretary, announced the next item on the agenda, Approval
of the Minutes of the 1,170th Public Hearings and Regular
Meeting held on June 1, 2021.
June 15, 2021
30053
On a motion by Long, seconded by Bongero, and unanimously adopted, it was
#06-31-2021 RESOLVED, That the Minutes of 1,170" Public Hearings and
Regular Meeting held by the Planning Commission on June 1,
2021,are hereby approved.
A roll call vote on the foregoing resolution resulted in the following:
AYES: Long, McCue, Bongero, Smiley, Ventura, Wilshaw
NAYS: None
ABSENT: Caramagno
ABSTAIN: None
Mr. Wilshaw, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution
adopted.
On a motion
duly made, seconded
and unanimously
adopted, the 1,171St
Public
Hearings and
Regular Meeting
held
on June 15, 2021,
vV adjourned
at 8:30 p.m.
CITY PLI�-NNING COMMISSION
Caramagno, Secretary
ATTEST:
Ian Wilshaw, Chairman