Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutS09062023 MinutesCITYOF LIVONIA – CITY COUNCIL MINUTES OF STUDY MEETING HELD SEPTEMBER 6, 2023 Meeting was called to order at 8:33 p.m. by Council President Jim Jolly. Present: Kathleen McIntyre, Vice President Toy, Scott Bahr, Rob Donovic, Scott Morgan, Brandon McCullough, and President Jim Jolly. Absent: None. Elected and appointed officials present: Susan Nash, City Clerk; Paul Bernier, City Attorney; Mark Taormina, Planning and Economic Development Director; Todd Zilincik, City Engineer; and Jacob Rushlow, Assistant Director of DPW. Councilmember McIntyre led the Pledge of Allegiance. AUDIENCE COMMUNICATION: None Councilmember McIntyre announced that tickets will be available at the door for Eric Goldstein’s upcoming play “Here We Go 2.0” and will becash only. Vice President Toy indicated former Mayor Dennis Wright needs prayers due to some recent challenges he is facing. President Jolly sent best wishes to Mayor Wright and will be sure to include him in his thoughts and prayers. NEW BUSINESS BLOCK PARTY: Anthony Mitchell, re: to be held Sunday, September 24, 2023, from 11:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m., on Louise Street between Richland and Orangelawn Streets. Anthony Mitchell, 29778 Richland Street, presented the request to Council. Councilmember Donovic offered an approving motion for the Consent agenda. DIRECTION: APPROVAL CONSENT WAIVER PETITION: Planning Commission, re: Petition 2023-06-02-09 submitted by Leo Soave Building Inc. requesting Special Waiver Use approval to develop a Planned Residential Development consisting of five (5) buildings and a total of eleven (11) residential dwelling units on properties at 35755 and 35841 Plymouth Road, located on the south side of Plymouth Road between Yale Avenue and Levan Road in the Northeast ¼ of Section 32. Mark Taormina,Planning and Economic Development Director, presented the request to Council. President Jolly confirmed that this is a combined waiver and site plan approval. Joe Eadeh, representative for Leo Soave, indicated that he spoke to a resident who requested some old trees be removed in the back of the property and be replaced with Arborvitaes. The contractor agrees with that plan if the city approves. President Jolly confirmed with Mr. Taormina that this is not reflected in the current plan and the retention area runs along the south side. He asked if trees will be able to be planted there. Mr. Taormina stated there are some trees currently as part of the original landscape plan, butit is suggestedthat there be additional evergreen trees provided along this area. There will be a ledge of flatter area between the property line and the top of slope where the retention basin goes down and there should be sufficient area to do the plantingsmentioned, which is currently documented in the Planning Commission approval. Councilmember Donovic clarified there's an area that goes down between the retention area and the property line where there's more of a flat space and they are going to be removing some of those old trees while replacing them with new evergreens to provide more of a screening to those homes to the south. He also verified with Mr. Taormina that there will not be a trash enclosure, but it will be individual trash pick-up like a normal residential dwelling. Vice President Toy asked what the price range would be and if they are three bedrooms with basements. She also asked if we have any duplexes in that area. Mr. Eadeh indicated the price range will be low to mid threes. There will not be basements and most units will be two bedrooms with a couple being three bedrooms. There will be four duplexes, but they are actually attached condos. Councilmember Bahr asked if there is anything binding in the Planning Commission Approval. He also asked how long the property has been vacant and commented that this is a weird space to be doing this, but it is a good example of the changing face of retail and lack of commercial need for the property. Mr. Taormina said he would consider those binding and prior to the final Engineering or permits being issued that we would have to sign off on the final landscape plan which will have to provide the additional landscaping, the additional off street parking space or two, and the PRDA improvements along Plymouth Road. The property has been vacant more than 25 years. He indicated this is one of the things that the Master Plan wanted to achieve as infill development, replacing some of these commercial properties with new forms of residential. This really checks a box that we were looking to have done as part of the Master Plan moving forward and arereally excited to see how this works. And if it does, if it that possibly leads to more types of redevelopment projects, from Commercial to Residential. Councilmember McIntyre confirmed this will be a private road and there will be a Homeowners Association that will take care of trash and snow removal. Councilmember McCullough indicated Google Maps goes back to 2007 where it looked like there was a shack on the property. He is please with the plan and feels that this type of housing fits perfectly. Councilmember Morgan confirmed that these will not be for rent and feels this will be a great addition to Livonia. Deb Christiansen, resident, indicated she is a resident living behind this property but not on Elmira Street and doesn’t know why they weren’t notified of this plan. She is pleased that these will be one story properties, but her concern would be the retention pond at the foot of neighboring yards if she were a resident on Elmira Street. President Jolly asked about notification requirements. Mr. Taormina said the notification of the Public Planning Commission meeting was 300 feet. Councilmember Donovic asked how many feet the flat area will be. He said it is his understanding that this is a bioretention area that won’t hold feet of water but is designed for high rainfalls that will fill up and slowly dissipate. Mr. Taormina said the final engineering has not been done, the depth is only about a foot with the area affected being about 15 feet wide. There is some distance about five feet between the property line and where that slope is, but it only drops down about a foot, so it's a very gentle slope. It's designed for the water to find its way into that swale and mostly would seep into the ground. He believes there would an outlet provided if it does fill with water. But again, those final engineering drawings still need to be reviewed by the Engineering Division. Vice President Toy offered an approving motion for the Regular agenda. DIRECTION: APPROVAL REGULAR SITE PLAN PETITION: Planning Commission, re: Petition 2023-07-08-06 submitted by Leo Soave Building Company, L.L.C. requesting approval of the Master Deed, Bylaws and site plan to develop a site condominium (Sunset View) consisting of eleven (11) single-family homes on the property at 30250 Morlock Avenue located on the west side of Sunset Avenue between Fargo Avenue and Eight Mile Road in the Northwest ¼ of Section 2. Mark Taormina,Planning and Economic Development Director, presented the request to Council. President Jolly asked if the property on the east and west sideof the street were all a single piece of property at one time. Mr. Taormina said he has no record of a parcel split of this development. President Jolly feels the development should conform to the east side of Sunset and asked why we would put eleven homes in rather than eight like the other side. Councilmember Donovic indicated that the Ordinance calls for 70-foot widths and that is why there would be additional lots available. This would also allow for two large retention areas on the sides. Mr. Taormina said they can meet the requirements and still provide the stormwater detention. Lot eleven would be 108 feet in width which could be spread among other lots but would push that lot farther for the west and wouldn’t have the frontage along the right of way. Councilmember Donovic said 70-foot lots and the width of the road are common throughout the community. Todd Zilincik, City Engineer, verified that the that they need a greenbelt area for snow plowing and to allow for parking of two cars and an emergency vehicle throughway. Vice President Toy asked for the width of the lots to the east. She also asked if the petitioner must have a monument sign. Mr. Taormina said they are about 87 feet wide by 110 feet depth. They are about 10 feet shy of what the Ordinance requires as a minimum which is why they are wider. He also indicated the petitioner can request the monument sign requirement be waived. President Jolly said he feels it is a good choice to waive the monument signs when we can do so. Councilmember McCullough asked if there are only four catch basins on that current road. He said he used GIS at that site and measured more like 27 feet and has mountable curbs. He asked if there are any plans for additional drainage structures or the geometrics to the road. Mr. Taormina said there are not. Councilmember McCullough is concerned about having 10 or 11 new driveways and only four catch basins. Mr. Zilincik indicated there may be some additional storm sewer that maybe be added to the roadway itself. There is a storm manhole at the curb at sunset as you go around the corner itself. Councilmember McCullough also asked where the easement for Fire would be placed. He has issues with the number of homes and the infrastructure not being in place. President Jolly asked Mr. Taormina if Council could require larger lot sizes to make this a conforming plan.Mr. Taormina indicated Council can require larger lot sizes based on findingsor if there's a consensus that is needed to make this a conforming plan. Currently, the plan meets those minimum lot size requirements and requiring something additional would probably need to have to have a basis for that in terms of the Ordinance, whether it's engineering standards being complied with, or other issues that are spelled out in the Ordinance.Paul Bernier, City Attorney, agreed with Mr. Taormina that there must be adequate and sufficient reasons to increase the requirements. President Jolly said he thinks it would make sense in terms of a density from a water runoff standpoint to do so.Councilmember Bahr indicated this area was rezoned by a previous Council from rural urban farm to residential years ago. His concern is it looks like we are packing homes in here and they should be compatible with the surrounding area, and he is not in favor of the plan currently in front of them. He would like to see this item put into Committee of the Whole.Joe Eadeh, representative for Soave Building, indicated they have worked diligently on this to be sure it meets all the requirements of the city. He indicated that development and redevelopment are what keepcommunities strong. He did object to the term of “jamming” 11 houses in the space as that number of homes are fully within the requirements. President Jolly asked if there are such narrow parameters regarding approving or denying things like this, why is this even a petition before us under our ordinances and why it’s not just something that can be built upon Administrative Approval? We are hearing from neighbors who don't like things like this, we may not agree with what we're seeing, but our hands are tied regarding what the outcome might be in regard to what we have to do per our ordinances. He feels that this is a fundamental flaw of what we're looking at in terms of the obligations of this Council. Mr. Bernier said that there must be sufficient and rational reason to vote no on something like this and just because the neighbors want a Greenbelt is not one of the reasons. Councilmember McIntyre said we do have options and she likes Councilmember Bahr’s recommendation to put this into Committee to work with a developer to make sure that what we're approving is in harmony and legally defensible.Councilmember Donovic asked what the purpose of lot size requirements are if we aren’t going to abide by them and thenmust vote on them. He said in looking at the plan, all the infrastructure is there leading him to believe this was meant to be developed. He asked Mr. Zilincik if it would be possible to install two more catch basins to manage more water run off without ripping up the road portion and causing more issues for the existing homeowners.Mr. Zilincik said they could remove and replace the road or bored it out.Councilmember Bahr indicated he had no ill will when he used the term jamming homes in, he just feels that we don’t need that level of density here. He responded to Councilmember Donovic’s comment as to the purpose of the Ordinance and it is to establish a minimum, not to dictate what the width would be. He feels it is within the purview of the Council to push for plans that are compatible with the surrounding neighborhoods. Councilmember McCullough asked Mr. Zilincik ifthe established road already there if it is part of the site plan and permitting process to provide stormwater calculations for the existing roads.Mr. Zilincik said it would typically exclude that just for the new development itself and then on the parcel that was developed. Councilmember McCullough reiterated he is not in support of this plan the way it is.Councilmember Morgan asked Mr. Zilincik if he thinks there is enough run off and we are looking at a plan that is going to work perfectly.Mr. Zilincik askedfor clarification of the question, is there enough capacity in the bio retention system proposed or enough capacity in the storm system of the existing sunset Avenue. Councilmember Morgan said he is asking both.Mr. Zilincik said he would have to look at the C factor of the detention area but suspects there would probably be more impervious area added once you add the home plus the driveways and whatever area patios that nature itself, but we want to make sure it all depends on the size of the pipe and the slope of the pipe. There could be enough capacity in the pipe. There are only four catch basins which may be enough capacity based on the size of the pipe. Typically, one side of the street has a two-foot inlet with a 12-inch storm sewer goes across to the main trunk line. And again, it's depending on the size of the pipe and the slope. He would want to make sure that we don't have any flooding back there so we may have to increase the detention, which may shave off a lot.Councilmember Morgan asked what the size of the existing storm is. He also asked if adjustments would be made after the development startedif Engineering determined that another catch basin or wider runoff were needed. Mr. Zilincik said he believes the size is 27 and it is on the south side. He indicated that Council is approving the site plans and Engineering must make sure it works functionally.Mr. Eadeh said he the storm sewers are usually installed to handle the full development planned even if it will be done in phases.The following residents voiced opposition to the development due to basement flooding, narrow roads, loss of Greenspace, number of homes in the plan, and the lack of shared information: Emma Chapman, 20230 Sunset StreetDonald Brockway, 20234 SunsetJuliette Abbott, 20226 Sunset Angela Booth, 20311 MilburnRyan Molnar, 20218 SunsetMichael Doyle, 20210 SunsetPaul Abbott, 20226 SunsetSylvia Kaoud, 30892 Kenwood Court Zofia Milcarz, 30869 Kenwood CourtCouncilmember Bahr offered a motion to refer this to matter to Committee of the Whole on the Regular agenda. DIRECTION: COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLEREGULAR AWARD OF BID AND REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL APPROPRIATION AND EXPENDITURE: Department of Parks and Recreation, re: for the construction of a pavilion and concrete pad in the Ben Celani play area of Bicentennial Park, from the unexpended fund balance of the Community Recreation Fund. Ethan Engle, Athletic Coordinator of Livonia Parks and Recreation, presented the request to Council. Councilmember McIntyre appreciates that we are updating an outstanding park but wonders if any consideration was given to using these funds for basic updates at Sheldon Park. Mr. Engle said there is a park plan in the works for Sheldon Park, but he isn’t sure why this one was chosen specifically over Sheldon. Councilmember Bahr confirmed with Mr. Engle that this is in addition to the existing shelter. Councilmember McIntyre asked that Ted Davis, Superintendent of Parks and Recreation, provide the information she requested for the next meeting. Vice President Toy offered an approving motion for the Regular agenda. DIRECTION: APPROVAL REGULAR REQUEST TO WAIVE THE FORMAL BIDDING PROCESS AND EXTEND CONTRACT WITH HAVENER TECH: Department of Public Works, re: for completing all repair work required in connection with catch basin, storm sewer, and concrete slab stabilization, in an amount not to exceed $50,000.00 annually, from budgeted funds. (CR 321-21) Jacob Rushlow, Assistant Director of DPW, presented the request to Council. Councilmember McIntyre asked how many more need repair and how long it will if they begin the work in September. Mr. Rushlow said the funds will cover about 90 additional catch basins. The total number is unknown as the need for repair becomes evident as they go through routine inspections. DPW can do about 40 to 50 per year and it takes them about three days per structure to complete. He indicated that Havener Tech has the technology to do all 90 catch basins in a day or two. Councilmember McCullough offered an approving motion for the Consent agenda. DIRECTION: APPROVAL CONSENT AUDIENCE COMMUNICATION: NoneADJOURNED 10:00For September 18, 2023Regular Meeting