HomeMy WebLinkAbout1,233 - July 22, 2025 signedMINUTES OF THE 1,233rd PUBLIC HEARINGS AND REGULAR MEETING
HELD BY THE CITY PLANNING COMMISSION
OF THE CITY OF LIVONIA
On Tuesday, July 22, 2025, the City Planning Commission of the City of Livonia
held its 1,233rd Public Hearing and Regular Meetings in the Livonia City Hall, 33000
Civic Center Drive, Livonia, Michigan.
Mr. lan Wilshaw, Chairman, called the meeting to order at 7 p.m.
Members present:
Wafa Dinaro
Sam Caramagno
Ian Wilshaw
Members absent: None
Patrick Droze
Glen Long
David Bongero
Peter Ventura
Mr. Jacob Uhazie, Planning Director, 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 2025-06-02-13 3CS Schoolcraft, LLC
Mr. Caramagno, Secretary, announced the first item on the agenda, Petition 2025-
06-02-13 submitted by 3CS Schoolcraft, LLC, requesting waiver
use approval under Sections 3.16 and 6.32 of the Livonia Zoning
Ordinance, as amended, to operate an indoor recreational facility,
at 37461 Schoolcraft Road, located at the southwest corner of
Schoolcraft Road and Newburgh Road, in the northeast 1/4 of
Section 30.
Mr. Uhazie:
Mr. Wilshaw:
Mr. Uhazie:
July 22, 2025
31942
Good evening. This is a request to operate an indoor recreational
facility offering classes in Brazilian jujitsu for children and adults.
The location is on the southwest corner of Schoolcraft and
Newburgh Road. The existing site contains a 12,000 square foot
multi -tenant industrial building. The petitioner's unit would
measure 1,900 square feet. The property measures
approximately 1.19 acres in size. The existing zoning is M-1
(Light industrial). The adjacent property to the east is a
commercial building containing a wheel bearing business also
zoned M-1. To the west is an office park zoned M-2. To the south
is Trinity Elite Sports Performance, zoned M-1 and to the north is
Schoolcraft Road and the interstate 96 freeway. The site has 320
feet of frontage on Schoolcraft Road and an additional 162 feet
of frontage on Newburgh. Site access is provided from Newburgh
Road on the southeast side of the property and from Schoolcraft
Road on the northwest side of the property. There is a dumpster
enclosure in the southwest corner of the property. The site plan
submitted shows the petitioners unit located in the interior of the
of the building. Indoor recreation uses are treated as a waiver -
use in the M-1 district under Section 6.32 of the zoning ordinance.
The proposed indoor recreational use would conform to all
special requirements and regulations under this section.
Minimum parking is one space for 200 feet of floor area. The suite
is approximately 1,900 square feet, requiring 10 parking spaces.
The martial arts school will share a lot with two other tenants.
Currently, there are 45 parking spaces around the building and
approximately 15 spaces along the west property line. This totals
60 parking spaces on site. The floor plan shows the suite will
contain an exercise room, a break room and two restrooms with
a utility closet. The petitioner is not extending the width of the
existing building or extending the height or changing any of the
setbacks. The elevation plans show the facade with a dark brown
brick and brown awning, and the rear facade having a light beige
brick and maroon awning over the exits. With that, Mr. Chairman,
I can read out the departmental correspondence.
Yes, please.
The first item is from the Engineering Division, dated June 24,
2025, which reads as follows: "In accordance with your request,
the Engineering Division has reviewed the above referenced
petition. We have no objections to the proposed waiver use at this
time, but would like to note the following items: 1. The subject
parcel is assigned the address range of #37453 thru #37463
Schoolcraft Road, with the address of #37453 Schoolcraft Road
being assigned to the overall parcel. Should additional addresses
July 22, 2025
31943
be needed, the Owner will need to contact this Department once
approvals have been obtained. 2. The existing parcel is currently
serviced by public sanitary sewer and water main, as well as
private storm sewer. Utility information has not been submitted
with the drawings, but we do not believe there will be any adverse
effects from the proposed project. 3. Should any revisions to the
utility services to the building, or any work in the right-of-way be
required, the owner will need to submit drawings to this
Department to determine if Engineering permits will be required."
The letter is signed by David W. Lear, P.E., Assistant City
Engineer. The next letter is from the Livonia Fire & Rescue
Division, dated July 8, 2025, which reads as follows: "This office
has reviewed the site plan submitted in connection with the
renovation and use of the property located at the above
referenced address. No objections to this proposal with the
stipulations: If a sprinkler fire suppression system and fire alarm
or alarm monitoring system is in place, the systems must remain
and be maintained to function as designed. A further detailed plan
review will take place when this division receives an official plan
set." The letter is signed by Brian Kukla, Fire Marshal. The next
letter is from the Division of Police, dated June 23, 2025, which
reads as follows: "I have reviewed the plans in connection with
the petition. I have no objections to the proposal." The letter is
signed by Paul Walters, Sergeant, Traffic Bureau. The next letter
is from the Treasurer's Department, dated June 23, 2025, which
reads as follows: "AII taxes have been paid on this property" The
letter is signed by Susie Nash, Treasurer. That is the extent of
the correspondence.
Mr. Wilshaw: Alright. Thank you, Mr. Uhazie. Is there any questions for
planning staff? No questions for the staff. Our petitioner is in the
audience. Feel free to come to one of our podiums and introduce
yourself.
James Gray, 37461 Schoolcraft Road, Livonia, MI. Good evening, ladies and
gentlemen. Thank you so much for being here and being a part.
Thank you so much.
Mr. Wilshaw:
Mr. Gray:
Okay, very good. And you can pull the mic up if you need to. We
don't need you to get neck pain. So, tell us a little bit about your
proposal. You want to put a martial arts studio in this facility. Tell
us what you'd like to do.
Yes, sir. So, we impact young kids. So we have a class that's
geared towards younger kids, like so that it'll be from ages five to
10, and then from ages 10 to about 16, they'll have a big...we'll
have a bigger class, for big kids class, and then hopefully, by the
Mr. Wilshaw:
Ms. Dinaro:
Mr. Gray:
July 22, 2025
31944
time that they're 16, they'll start to be involved with the adults,
where my student leaders, that are adults, will be able to pour into
them, making leaders out of the younger kids is really what our
goal is. But also, we build businesspeople and things of that sort.
So, I have a group of engineers, I have a group of police officers.
I have a lot of different people, even professional fighters, that
have come in and train and so we have a wide array of different
types of students.
Okay, very good. Let's see if there's any questions for you about
your petition. One second, is there anyone with questions? Mrs.
Dinaro.
Can you tell us a little bit about your current studio and why you're
moving to Livonia?
Yes. Ma'am. Well, I've been through this process a few times. We
were in Belleville previously, prior to COVID, and unfortunately,
we had to shut down during that time. It was a kind of a crazy
time, right? And then we decided that it would probably be better
to move to Canton, so we moved to Canton, and it has been
wonderful. So, for the last four and a half years, we've been in a
storefront, and unfortunately, the rents were super high, and the
landlord wouldn't necessarily fixing the leaks that were
happening. As a leader, I take real great pride in where
locationally we are, and so I really wanted to provide a good place
for my students to train. And so, this would be, this is a better fit
for us. And so that's why, that's the purpose of why we wanted to
relocate.
Mr. Wilshaw: Thank you.
Mr. Gray: No problem.
Mr. Wilshaw: Thank you. Mr. Droze.
Mr. Droze: Thank you, Mr. Chair. I wanted to talk a little bit about the parking
on your property. So I guess one of the more interesting things
as a planning commissioner, I guess, of having young kids, is that
I've learned that there's a lot of these recreational uses that are
in some of our industrial areas, which is great because, you know,
obviously I'd rather have those spaces be used and it gives
amenities and activities for the kids. One thing I have noticed is
sometimes they can get pretty busy if there's a, you know,
sometimes it'll be a party, or, you know, other types of events that
happen. I'm not asking so much about that, but what I am
wondering is, because one of the points on the report that we
Mr. Gray:
Mr. Droze:
Mr. Gray:
July 22, 2025
31945
have is that you're going to get a shared parking agreement in
place as part of this project. And so one of the things I'd like to
see is to make sure that you have enough spaces allocated,
because sometimes it can get a little cramped, and all of a sudden
you got to park in an adjacent space and walk maybe in the spot
that's not designed for it. So, what is kind of your upper
expectation for number of parking spaces you need for, you
know, a busy day at your facility?
So the adults would be training later, right? So they're training at
seven o'clock. Typically, the adults when they train. And so that
would be after business hours. And so, yes, we would have
shared parking, but the time lapse that, you know, I mean,
typically it'll, it'll be a ghost town during that time.
So, I guess my question though, is, if you got a six o'clock session
in the seven o'clock session and everybody shows up at the same
time, is 10 spaces enough? Or do you think you need a little bit
more than that?
I think 10 would be fine, because we get a lot of people that will,
like, drop their kids off and then come back and pick them up.
And so there's a good number of people that do that. Then the
adults would be later, so they would be the ones parking so, I
mean, I have, usually, I have about, honestly, I have about seven
or eight parents that would stay and watch their kids. But, you
know, once they go and they leave, now those spaces are vacant.
So it's pretty much an open ghost town from there.
Mr. Droze: AM right, as far as parking goes, nope. No further questions.
Seems like great project. Thank you.
Mr. Gray: Thank you, sir. I appreciate you.
Mr. Wilshaw: Thank you. Mr. Droze. Any other questions for our petitioner? Mr.
Ca ram ag n o.
Mr. Caramagno: Hello, how long have you been in business?
Mr. Gray: Since, well, as a professional martial artist since 2017.
Mr. Caramagno: Okay, so you've been a while, and you said you were Belleville,
Canton, and now you're coming to Livonia.?
Mr. Gray:
Yes, sir, we, basically we, I had at the Van Buren Township. I
would offer private lessons at Van Buren Township. I knew some
of the people there, and I grew up with them, so I'm a Belleville
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31946
graduate and everything. And then they expressed interest that
they wanted a self-defense program for the kids. So I offered it. I
asked my instructor, who was the first black belt in the state. I
said, Do you think it's a good idea? And then we basically, he
said, Yeah, I think it's a great, great fit. And so I started doing that,
and then I partnered with the karate school briefly, and grew my
student base, and then we ended up renting our own facility, and
we have great relationships with them still. But then basically,
that's when we kind of started impact mentoring, because we
didn't want it to be just a normal martial arts school. We wanted
to really get into the lives of some of the younger kids and into the
lives of even some traditional martial artists that have been black
belts for a long time, but they might not know jujitsu. So jiu jitsu is
our expertise.
Mr. Caramagno: Okay, what are your hours?
Mr. Gray:
Well, we're, we might change it up a little bit, but the main thing
is, is like, so 5pm would be, actually, excuse me, 5:15 will be our
kids class. 6pm would be our big kids class, and then 7pm would
be our adults class, and that's Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and
then, obviously we do Saturday morning and Sunday classes too.
Mr. Caramagno: Each class is about an hour?
Mr. Gray: Yes, sir, yep.
Mr. Caramagno: Okay, good. Thank you.
Mr. Gray:
Mr. Wilshaw:
Mr. Ventura:
Mr. Gray:
My pleasure. Thank you for your question.
Thank you. Any other questions for our petitioner?
Mr. Gray, at our study session, you told us that you moved into
the...you rented the space and paid the rent and moved into the
building and improved the building and started to operate, and
then discovered and the landlord had never said anything to you
about requiring this waiver -use and going through the process
you're now going through. So, then you discovered you needed
to do it, and had to shut down and start this process. And so
you're still in a state of suspended animation at this point, waiting.
Our main goal is to make sure that we get our certificate of
occupancy and go through the process. We went through the
certificate of occupancy process in Belleville. We went through
the certificate process in Canton, and now I look forward to doing
this certificate here in Livonia. I heard it's a smoother process.
July 22, 2025
31947
Mr. Ventura: You've done everything inside the building you need to do to
make it ready for your business?
Mr. Gray:
Mr. Wilshaw:
Mr. Gray:
Mr. Wilshaw:
It's just, I mean, you know, what was really cool about this
particular spot is that it's already ready, so I didn't have to really
do anything except for paint. So, we're looking to put like a water
cooler, as opposed to like a drinking fountain. So that way we
don't have to break into any walls or do anything like that,
anything major. So that way it's a little bit more straightforward,
and hopefully we get the approval from building on that
Thank you. Mr. Ventura, any other questions for the petitioner? I
don't see any other questions from my colleagues. Is there
anyone in the audience wishing to speak on this item? I don't see
anyone else wishing to speak. Mr. Gray, is there anything else
you'd like to tell us before we make our decision?
No, I really appreciate your time, and I know it's a little bit of a
process trying to get the waiver -use and so I just wanted to thank
everybody here for your time and listening to us talk about our
business. And so I appreciate it.
Definitely. It's an opportunity to for you to promote your business
a little bit in the process. As you go through this approval process,
people are going to be watching and listening, and maybe they
hear something that's interesting to them. So, with that in mind, if
there's no other comments from any of my colleagues or anyone
else in the audience, I'm going to close the public hearing, and a
motion will be in order
On a motion by Dinaro, seconded by Ventura, and unanimously adopted, it was
#07-34-2025
RESOLVED, That the City Planning Commission does hereby
recommend to the City Council that Petition 2025-06-02-13
submitted by 3CS Schoolcraft, LLC, requesting waiver use
approval under Sections 3.16 and 6.32 of the Livonia Zoning
Ordinance, as amended, to operate an indoor recreational facility,
at 37461 Schoolcraft Road, located at the southwest corner of
Schoolcraft Road and Newburgh Road, in the northeast '/ of
Section 30, be approved subject to the following conditions:
1. The site plan, identified as A100, dated June 09, 2025, is
hereby approved and shall be adhered to.
Mr. Wilshaw:
Mr. Uhazie:
Mr. Wilshaw:
Mr. Ventura:
Mr. Wilshaw:
July 22, 2025
31948
2. That the Building Elevation Plan identified as A102 dated
June 09, 2025, as revised, is hereby approved and shall be
adhered to.
3. Only conforming signs are approved with this petition, and
any additional signage shall be separately submitted for
review and approval by the Zoning Board of Appeals.
4. All parking spaces, except the required handicapped
spaces, shall be doubled striped at ten feet (10') wide by
twenty feet (20') in length as required; and
5. Under Section 13.13 of the Livonia Zoning Ordinance, this
approval is valid for one year only from the date of approval
by the City Council. Unless the appropriate permits are
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 13.13 of the
Livonia Zoning Ordinance, as amended.
Mr. Ventura has raised the question of a seven day waiver. Mr.
Uhazie, have you had an opportunity to see if that would assist
them?
Yes, we did look at that but unfortunately, it's not so much that we
can't do it. It's just that the way the council agenda falls, they're
not going to get on a sooner agenda, whether we have seven
days or the normal waiting period. So either way, they'd end up
on the same agenda.
Yeah, okay. Mr. Ventura, are you okay with that?
Evidently, there's not much we can do it. Okay, Mr. Gray,
Just for your benefit, as I mentioned at the beginning of the
meeting in our my preamble, there's a seven day waiting period
before our minutes are approved. Sometimes what we'll try to do
is, in a situation like yours, where you really want to get operating
as quickly as you can, we can try to speed that up a little bit by
getting you onto the council agenda a little quicker with a waiver
of that seven days. In this case, it's going to take you more than
seven days to get to that council meeting anyway, so it's not going
to benefit you to have that waiver. So, we were just trying to
speed things up for you a bit if we could just thank you. But in any
case, you have gotten approval from us, this will go to City
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31949
Council. Now you'll go through the same process with them, a
study meeting and a regular meeting, and they will make the final
determination for your waiver -use but that meeting should be
coming up here in the next few weeks. I would imagine the
Planning Department will let you know, or the City Council office
will let you know when that meeting has been scheduled.
Mr. Gray: So I have to, just to be clear, we have two more meetings?
Mr. Wilshaw: Yes, with the City Council.
Mr. Gray: With the City Council, yes.
Mr. Wilshaw: What we do is we're giving an approving recommendation to
them. So, we've done the homework on your property. We've
talked to you, and we're recommending that this be approved, but
ultimately, City Council makes that final decision.
Mr. Gray: Yes, sir. All right, sir. Thank you so much. I appreciate it. Thank
you.
Mr. Wilshaw, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution
adopted. It will go on to the City Council with an approving
resolution.
ITEM #2 PETITION 2025-06-02-14 8KK Massage Spa
Mr. Caramagno, Secretary, announced the first item on the agenda, Petition 2025-
06-02-14 submitted by 8KK Massage Spa, requesting waiver use
approval under Sections 3.10 and 6.37 of the Livonia Zoning
Ordinance, as amended, to operate a Massage Establishment, at
31410 Joy Road, located at the Northwest corner of Merriman
Road and Joy Road, in the Southeast' of Section 34.
Mr. Uhazie:
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This request is to operate a massage
establishment at the northwest corner of Joy and Merriman
Roads. The existing zoning is C-1 (Local business). Adjacent
properties across Merriman are residentially zoned, N1
(Neighborhood). To the west is also residential zoned N1. To the
south of Joy Road is a BP gas station, which is located in
Westland. To the north is a residential property zoned N1 as well.
And to the southeast corner across Joy and Merriman is a 7-11,
which is located in Westland. The property size is approximately
8,407 square feet, with 70 feet of frontage on Merriman Road and
120 feet on Joy Road. The building measures approximately
1,344 square feet. And some history on the site is that in 1955
Mr. Wilshaw:
Mr. Uhazie:
July 22, 2025
31950
the site was approved as a residential / medical office, and since
then, is operated under three different practices. Additionally, the
parcel has been rezoned several times as the ordinance has
changed to comply with continued office use. Massage
establishments are permitted with a waiver -use under Section
6.37 of the zoning ordinance, and they must be located 400 feet
from another massage establishment, as well as 400 feet from
any school, place of worship, daycare, library or playground. The
hours of operation are limited from 8am to 10pm. The only plan
submitted with this was a floor plan. It shows a reception waiting
area, kitchen room and three massage rooms. There are two
bathrooms located in the building, one in the hallway, and the
second in a third massage room. No formal site plan was
submitted, but no changes are proposed to the building or
landscaping. As for parking, parking for massage establishments
require one space for 150 square feet of floor area, this site would
require seven spaces. Additionally, the site landscaping requires
two trees, one flowering ornamental tree and 12 shrubs along
Merriman. It would require three trees, one ornamental tree and
21 shrubs along Joy Road. Between the commercial and
residential, the zoning ordinance requires a six foot masonry wall
or fencing of 20 feet with the opaque fence and a 20 foot green
belt between the commercial and residential zonings. With that,
Mr. Chairman, I can read out the departmental correspondence.
Yes, please.
The first item is from the Engineering Division, dated June 24,
2025, which reads as follows: "In accordance with your request,
the Engineering Division has reviewed the above referenced
petition. We have no objections to the proposed waiver use at this
time, but would like to note the following items: 1. The subject
parcel is assigned the address of #31410 Joy Road. Should
additional addresses be needed, the Owner will need to contact
this Department once approvals have been obtained. 2. The
existing parcel is currently serviced by public sanitary sewer and
water main. Utility service information, has not been submitted
with the drawings, but we do not believe there will be any adverse
effects from the proposed project. Should any revisions to the
existing service leads be required, the Owner will need to submit
drawings to determine if Engineering Department permits will be
required. 3. Any disturbance within the Merriman Road or Joy
Road right-of-way's will require permits from 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 July 8, 2025, which reads
as follows: " This office has reviewed the site plan submitted in
Mr. Wilshaw:
Mr. Ventura:
Mr. Uhazie:
Mr. Ventura:
Mr. Wilshaw:
Sandy Wong,
Mr. Wilshaw:
Ms. Wong:
Mr. Wilshaw:
Ms. Wong:
July 22, 2025
31951
connection with a request to renovate a building on the property
located at the above referenced address. We have no objections
to this proposal. A further detailed plan review will take place
when this division receives an official plan set." The letter is
signed by Brian Kukla, Fire Marshal. The next letter is from the
Division of Police, dated June 23, 2025, which reads as follows:
"I have reviewed the plans in connection with the petition. I have
no objections to the proposal." The letter is signed by Paul
Walters, Sergeant, Traffic Bureau. The next letter is from the
Treasurer's Department, dated June 23, 2025, which reads as
follows: "All taxes have been paid on this property" The letter is
signed by Susie Nash, Treasurer. That is the extent of the
correspondence.
All right, thank you. Mr. Uhazie. Is there any questions for
planning staff? Mr. Ventura.
Mr. Uhazie, at our planning session, the petitioner failed to submit
a site plan and a landscape plan, and I see from your notes, that's
still the case?
Correct.
Okay, thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman,
Thank you. Mr. Ventura. Any other questions for staff? Okay,
petitioner is in our audience. I believe if you'd like to come to our
podium, you can address us.
31410 Joy Road, Livonia, MI. Hi, good evening, hello, afternoon. My
english is, try easy. Okay, my english a little bit.
Okay, we'll try to go easy on you. What can you tell us about your
petition for a massage parlor? What would you like to do with this
location?
Is the Livonia 31410, Joy Road.
Okay, that's the address. Okay, good. And what can you tell us
about your business?
Even though we're working for before in the New York, and want
change to here, we change here and want to open the small
(Inaudible).
Mr. Wilshaw: Okay, so you're looking to start a new business?
Ms. Wong: Yes.
Mr. Wilshaw: Okay, and previously you worked in New York?
Ms. Wong: Yeah.
Mr. Wilshaw:
Ms. Dinaro:
Ms. Wong:
July 22, 2025
31952
Okay. All right, good. Let's see if we have any questions for you
from anyone else. One let's see if there's some questions. Can
you hold on just one moment, any questions? Ms, Dinaro.
Yeah. Can you tell us more about the business? How many
massage chairs or beds are you going to have? What do you
expect the traffic to be like? How many people are you going to
be serving? Just give us some more information on what the day
to day operations are going to be.
The house inside have like, four char, three table and the two
bathroom, one shower and then three, room, three, table, I think.
Three bed, three room, four chair, the one so far in the (inaudible),
yes.
Ms. Dinaro: How many employees will you have? How many workers?
Ms. Wong: Not just starting same, just my partner, he herself, just the one
right now, but not very open, not that open right now.
Ms. Dinaro: When you are open, how many workers do you anticipate?
Ms. Wong: I, and my partner, two.
Ms. Dinaro: Two?
Ms. Wong: Yeah.
Ms. Dinaro: That's it for me.
Mr. Wilshaw: All right, thank you. Mr. Bongero, go ahead.
Mr. Bongero: Hello. So, you're not planning on doing any improvements
outside. You're going to leave it just the way it is. You understand
what I'm saying, like the parking lot is going to stay, the shrubs,...
Ms. Wong: Parking roads, nothing, right now.
Mr. Bongero:
Okay, I guess I'm having a hard time with this petition, because it
seems like I can't...it's hard to see what you're gonna do here,
but there's no site plan.
Ms. Wong:
Mr. Bongero:
July 22, 2025
31953
Yes, none. Because neither city home for accept that we don't
know. And they try to call in for someone make a sign, but
instead, hold on wait a moment.
Okay, it's just that it seems incomplete to me, and then without
doing any improvements, I don't know how you make the parking
work out there, especially on the east side, but I guess you know,
that answered my question. You're not going to do anything and
that's it. You're just going to take the building as is and see what
you can do, right? So I guess that answers that, thank you.
Mr. Wilshaw: Thank you, Mr. Bongero. Mr. Droze, I believe is next. Thank you.
Mr. Droze:
So one of the comments in the letter was that there should be a
wall between your property and your neighbor. Is that something
you plan to do? And Have you talked with the neighbor about that.
I'm kind of the Yeah. Mr. Uhazie is showing it here on the top side
of that if this loads.
Mr. Uhazie: yeah, sorry.
Mr. Droze:
It's okay. There's supposed to be a wall between your neighbor.
Is that something you plan to do? And have you talked with your
neighbor?
Ms. Wong: I don't know.
Mr. Droze: Okay.
Ms. Wong: I guess you mean it's a parking road. Excuse me, you mean, you
mean is a parking road. And parking road?
Mr. Droze:
It sounds like there's supposed to be a fence or a wall between
the properties. So I'm just wondering if you're planning to do that,
because it does sound like it's required, and if you've had
conversations with your neighbors, and if they would be okay with
that.
Ms. Wong: If a parking Road, can you says my (inaudible).
Mr. Wilshaw: Yeah, I believe the property owner is here. Would you like to
come forward and speak to this issue of the wall? You can come
up to the podium so we can, we can all hear you, sir. Who are
you?
Greg Karaim.
Mr. Wilshaw:
Mr. Karaim:
Mr. Wilshaw:
Mr. Karaim:
Mr. Wilshaw:
Mr. Karaim:
Mr. Wilshaw:
July 22, 2025
31954
I am the one that's picture right there that you show the very next
house.
Yaseen Yaseen,
Mr. Wilshaw:
Mr. Yaseen:
Mr. Wilshaw:
Mr. Yaseen
Mr. Wilshaw:
Mr.Yaseen:
So you're, you're the neighbor, right? Okay, we're looking for the
property owner of this property. You are not the property owner
of this corner, correct?
You're asking me this?
Yes.
I'm 31440, right, right next door. Okay, I can reach out and touch
it.
Okay, we'll, we'll have you come up in just a minute to speak. But
right now, we're looking for the property owner himself, which is
this gentleman right here?
Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you asked me.
No we are asking for the property owner to come forward. So it's
okay. Hello, , good evening, and your name is?
owner of 31410 Joy Road, Livonia, MI.
And Mr. Yaseen, do you understand the question in regards to
the need for a wall between you and your neighbors.
Yes.
Okay, so with the way that our zoning ordinance works, or
property or ordinances is between a commercial property, which
is what you are, and residential property which is next door to
you, normally, we require that there be some sort of a barrier,
wall, fence, wall, whatever, between you and them, there
currently is not one.
No problem.
So would you be willing to add that?
Yes, sir. I will do whatever you ask. And then Thursday, they're
gonna fix the parking lot. So that Thursday, they send me a
message if you want to see to take a look at it.
July 22, 2025
31955
Mr. Wilshaw: Okay, all right. Good. That, I think was the question that was
being asked. Mr. Droze, you still have the floor? Would you like
to ask any additional questions of the property owner?
Mr. Droze: Mr. Bongero, covered more of the parking lot questions, but mine
was more on the wall, so I'm good. Thank you.
Mr. Wilshaw: Okay, very good. Any other questions for either a petitioner or the
property owner, since we have both up there now?
Mr. Caramagno: Who's licensed to operate the massage establishment?
Ms. Wong:
It's my partner.
Mr. Caramagno: Your partner.
Ms. Wong:
Yeah, because she needed work she go back to New York first.
The here is not open right now.
Mr. Caramagno: Are they licensed in Michigan?
Ms. Wong: New York. I think it's New York.
Mr. Caramagno: Are they required to be licensed in Michigan?
Ms. Wong: No, Michigan, maybe we ask can be changed?
Mr. Caramagno: Okay, excuse me, so the licensed person is, is back in New York,
you said. So that leads me to another question, what is happening
in that building daily? Now? What happens there?
Ms. Wong: Empty? Close right now.
Mr. Caramagno: It's empty right now?
Ms. Wong: Nobody just some before I talking (Inaudible) chair some inside.
Mr. Caramagno: I noticed there's cars parked there throughout the day, morning,
afternoon, nighttime. There's a white car that parks there. There's
a Texas plated car that's parked there. Just using his parking lot,
or is someone living there?
Ms. Wong:
A machine broke a few days ago. The water machine broke.
Need a calling and make a wife, make a and then make internet.
We need the waiting inside, waiting for some working inside.
Internet work and what hold the water. Maybe I don't know
July 22, 2025
31956
Mr. Caramagno: You're saying somebody's working in there?
Ms. Wong: Right now. No, just need a calling make internet available, will
hold the water available.
Mr. Caramagno: There's two cars there just about every day and all hours of the
day.
Ms. Wong: No, no, not every day, just the day is late today, late. The machine
broke, and we appointment for 8am come for make hot water
available so he he's away waiting inside.
Mr. Caramagno: Okay.
Mr. Wilshaw:
Any other questions for our petitioner? Okay, no other questions
for our petitioner. We do have people in our audience that may
wish to speak on this. We had one gentleman that's a neighbor.
Were you willing to or did you want to speak to this petition, sir, if
you'd like to come forward to the podium. Ma'am, you can sit
down for just a moment. Thank you and good evening, sir. Can
we just get your name and address for our record?
Greg Karaim, 31440 Joy Road, Livonia, MI.
Mr. Wilshaw:
Mr. Karaim:
Mr. Wilshaw:
Mr. Karaim:
Thank you, Mr. Karaim. What would you like to tell us?
I've been writing some stuff down because I didn't...I got the letter
about this meeting maybe two weeks ago, and probably for the
last month and a half or longer, lot of traffic, lot of people, lot of
people parking. I don't know, dozen cars a day maybe. I've seen
people there overnight on several occasions. And right from my
picture window, I'm watching the losing Tigers for the last couple
weeks. And I started just watching, and I've got four pages of just
the last week, times three cars pulling around eight. Leave at
8:30-8:45 — 9:22, cars pull in. I've got the colors of the cars. 9:24-
9:31-10:33. That was Friday, July 18, and I could go on with
yesterday. Three cars in parking lot. Eight o'clock, two more pull
in. Customer stands at the door, texting, then it's let in. Truck is
parked, submitted all of the parking lot for 20 minutes only. I've
seen other cars pull in, not even park stay for 10 minutes are
gone, and I've been seeing that for weeks now, and I've seen
like...is the business open?
It should not be, no.
Open sign in the window. And again, traffic all the time. And so to
me, its like they're doing business, you know? And the fence you
talked about, okay, that doctor put it up. It collapsed a couple
July 22, 2025
31957
years ago and fell on my car, actually. And, you know, he put up
a whole new fence, and it's already started now. I was out there
screwing in...some of the boards are coming loose again, so that,
and the parking lot there is terrible. I mean, there's holes and
holes and stuff. And again, I see the white car you spoke of, is
there all the time, there overnight. Sometimes it's there all the way
to the late afternoon. Comes back there overnight. So
somebody's staying there, you know? And it could be like to me,
if you're there for a night because you're working on the business
or doing something, you know, no big deal, but it's there all the
time and again. I can give you five pages of people, what times
they were coming in, what times they were leaving. So, you know,
to me, they're already doing business. And I'm also concerned
about the high school, because the high school a block away, you
know, so maybe it's more than 400 feet, but, you know, it's just a
concern I had. And then there's weeds going all along the fence
line and against the back wall. Now, as far as I'm concerned, they
do keep the lawn mowed. It's mowed, you know, every week or
two probably, but the weeds are getting like that high so, and
there's garbage kind of piling up. Nothing terrible, but, you know,
it's there. So, I guess, you know, that's my main concerns, I
guess, too. And the hours of operation and that type of stuff, you
said from eight to 10, is that seven days a week that they can be
open. I don't know. I'm asking. And you know, it's always been
quiet. I've lived there 20 years, very quiet, and now I'm seeing a
lot of traffic. And I guess those are my main concerns. Basically,
basically, though. I mean, these are a list of cars just in the last
on Friday, July 18, and then the same thing I got on Sunday, the
20th, the 22nd I've got probably 8-10, cars parking there and that.
So
Mr. Wilshaw: I think we're seeing the same thing.
Mr. Karaim: Okay, well, that's...,
Mr. Wilshaw: If you want to come up and speak...
Mr. Karaim: No, I think that covered pretty much most of what I've got to bring
up about it anyways.
Mr. Wilshaw:
Okay, very good. Thank you sir. Appreciate your comments. All
right, thanks for the time. Would you like to come up and speak
to this issue?
John Turel, 31454 Joy Road, Livonia, MI. That's all I really have to say. I'm the
next neighbor over next to Greg,
July 22, 2025
31958
Mr. Wilshaw: We need you on the microphone just because we do have a vast
TV audience, I'd like to hear you as well.
Mr. Turel: Okay, I've been here for 30 years, and my concern is a massage
parlor in a residential neighborhood in Livonia. Shouldn't that be
like down on Michigan Avenue or something? And that just sits
wrong with me, high school kids back and forth all day long, going
to Franklin High School. I don't know if I'd want my kids walking
past that with sex trafficking and everything that's making the
headlines now, it's just, it's this isn't winning me over at all. Okay?
Thank you.
Mr. Wilshaw: We appreciate your comments. Thank you. Thank you for
coming.
Mr. Karaim: Is it residential? We need to keep this official.
Mr. Wilshaw: Yeah, we do. We need to keep a record.
Mr. Karaim: I'm just, I was concerned, like, is this a residential and is it so a
business? Like, can someone spend the night there?
Mr. Wilshaw: They cannot. It is commercial, so they cannot.
Mr. Karaim: Because I, I'm definitely, I mean, someone's there on a regular
basis, so I just wanted to get that confirmed, because I didn't
know if it could go be both things, right?
Mr. Wilshaw:
Mr. Wilshaw:
Ms. Wong:
That's a good question. I appreciate you asking that. Okay, thank
you. Thank you, sir. All right, if there's no one else in our audience
wishing to speak, I'm going to go back to the owners. Is there
anything that you'd like to say to us before we make our decision?
Either of you, if there's anything you'd like to say, you can come
forward.
Hello, Ms Wong, anything else that you'd like to tell us before we
make our decision?
Sorry, I'm not sure I understand, but said many people, car, road,
parking and talking. Some people come, I don't know. I need a...l
have camera. I say I can see the camera first, because it's not
only my business. So, I need to know more detail. I. know here
too much about the people saying, what happened?
Mr. Wilshaw: One of the neighbors is seen as a lot of car activity, a lot of people
coming and going from your business location.
Ms. Wong:
Mr. Wilshaw:
Ms. Wong:
Mr. Wilshaw:
July 22, 2025
31959
Just my friend tell me, have some mission. People come and
make internet, some hot water. I don't know more. Just that she
called me come for this, 7pm for this. I don't know too much, sorry.
So, your partner is probably more involved.
I need, I need to let her know first.
Okay, all right, very good. Well, thank you for those comments.
Thank you. All right, with that, if there's no other questions or
comments from anyone. I'm going to close the public hearing, and
a motion would be in order.
On a motion by Bongero, seconded by Droze, and unanimously adopted, it was
#07-35-2025
RESOLVED, That the City Planning Commission does hereby
recommend to the City Council that Petition 2025-06-02-14
submitted by 8KK Massage Spa, requesting waiver use approval
under Sections 3.10 and 6.37 of the Livonia Zoning Ordinance,
as amended, to operate a Massage Establishment, at 31410 Joy
Road, located at the Northwest corner of Merriman Road and Joy
Road, in the Southeast '/4 of Section 34, be denied for the
following reasons:
1. The petitioner has failed to comply with all general standards
and requirements outlined in Sections 1.02 and 13.13 of the
Livonia Zoning Ordinance.
2. The petitioner has not adequately established a need for the
proposed use in the immediate area.
3. The petitioner has failed to comply with landscaping and
screening requirements outlined in Section 10.03 of the
Livonia Zoning Ordinance.
4. The petitioner has not sufficiently demonstrated that the
proposed use would be compatible with and in harmony with
the surrounding uses in the area; and
5. The proposed use is contrary to the goals and objectives of
the Zoning Ordinance, which, among other things, are
intended to ensure the suitability and appropriateness of
uses.
FURTHER RESOLVED, That notice of the above hearing was
given in accordance with the provisions of Section 13.13 of the
Livonia Zoning Ordinance, as amended.
July 22, 2025
31960
Mr. Wilshaw: Is there any discussion?
Mr. Wilshaw, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution
adopted.
ITEM #5
APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1,232nd Public Hearings and
Regular Meeting
Mr. Caramagno, Secretary, announced the next item on the agenda, Approval of
the Minutes of the 1,232nd Public Hearing and Regular Meeting
held on July 1, 2025.
On a motion by Long, seconded by Ventura, and unanimously adopted, it was
#07-38-2025 RESOLVED, That the Minutes of 1,232nd Public Hearings and
Regular Meeting held by the Planning Commission on July 1,
2025, are hereby approved.
A roll call vote on the foregoing resolution resulted in the following:
AYES: Bongero, Long, Ventura, Caramagno, Wilshaw
NAYS: None
ABSENT: None
ABSTAIN: Dinaro, Droze
Mr. Wilshaw, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution
adopted.
On a motion duly made, seconded and unanimously adopted, the 1,233rd Public
Hearings and Regular Meeting held on July 22, 2025, w;,s adjourned at 7:48 p.m.
ATTEST:
Ian Wilshaw, Chairman
CITY P ' NNING COMMISSION
Sam $t ramagno, Secretary