HomeMy WebLinkAbout1,243 - March 24, 2026 signedMINUTES OF THE 1,243rd PUBLIC HEARINGS AND REGULAR MEETING
HELD BY THE CITY PLANNING COMMISSION
OF THE CITY OF LIVONIA
On Tuesday, March 24, 2026, the City Planning Commission of the City of Livonia
held its 1,243rd Public Hearing and Regular Meetings in the Livonia City Hall, 33000
Civic Center Drive, Livonia, Michigan.
Mr. Ian Wilshaw, Chairman, called the meeting to order at 7 p.m.
Members present: Wafa Dinaro Patrick Droze David Bongero
Sam Caramagno Glen Long Ian Wilshaw
Members absent: Peter Ventura
Mr. Jacob Uhazie, Assistant Planning Director, and Stephanie Reece, Program
Supervisor, were also present. N,_
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 2026-02-02-06 Capital Grille SDM/Class C
Mr. Caramagno, Secretary, announced the first item on the agenda, Petition 2026-
02-02-06 submitted by Capital Grille Holdings, Inc., requesting
waiver use approval under Sections 3.13, 6.03 and 6.22 of the
Livonia Zoning Ordinance, as amended, to operate a Class C
liquor license (sale of beer, wine and spirits for consumption on
the premises), and an S.D.M. liquor license (sale of packaged
beer and wine for consumption off the premises) in connection
with a full -service restaurant (Capital Grille) at 17117 North Laurel
Mr. Uhazie:
Mr. Wilshaw:
Mr. Uhazie:
March 24, 2026
32292
Park Drive, located on the north side of Six Mile Road between
North Laurel Park Drive and the 1-275 Expressway in the
Southeast % of Section 7.
Good evening, Mr. Chair. This is a request to operate with a Class
C and SDM liquor license. The site is the Capital Grille that we
approved previously in a site plan in the same complex as the
new hotel and Coopers Hawk winery. The site consists of two tax
parcels with a combined area of 10.27 acres. The site is
accessible via two driveways off Laurel Park Drive. It was
originally developed in 1979 as a Holiday Inn, and the site was
redeveloped in 2015 when the Holidome was demolished and
replaced with a new six story Holiday Inn. The current zoning is
C-4 (Commercial high rise) in which full -service restaurants are
treated as permitted use and liquor license are a waiver -use. The
adjacent properties to the east is the Coopers Hawk restaurant.
The west is the 1-275, and 1-96 interchange. To the south is Six
Mile Road and the Best Western Hotel, zoned C-2 and to the
north is the Holiday Inn also zoned C-4. Under the zoning
ordinance SDM liquor licenses require special waiver -use
approval pursuant to Section 6.03 of the zoning ordinance, and
Class C license requires waiver under Section 6.22 of the
ordinance. The proposed Capital Grille is shown in the southwest
corner of the site plan, and the building would consist of about
10,000 square feet with indoor seating for 246. There is no
outdoor seating proposed. Section 6.22 of the zoning ordinance
requires establishments having a Class C liquor license not be
located within 1,000 feet of any other liquor license establishment
and Section 6.03 requires a separation of 500 feet between SDM
liquor license establishments. The Coopers Hawk winery is
located in the same parcel and also has an SDM and Class C
license. The ordinance also requires 400 feet of separation
between any church or school building, either public or parochial.
No such establishments are present within the 400-foot buffer,
but City Council can waive the separation requirements for liquor
licenses. With that, Mr. Chairman, I can read out the departmental
correspondence.
Yes, please.
The first item is from the Engineering Division, dated March 2,
2026, 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
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32293
parcel is assigned the address of #17117 North Laurel Park
Drive. 2. The existing parcel is currently serviced by public
sanitary sewer and water main, as well as private storm sewer.
There is no mention of utility revisions with the proposal, so we
do not believe there will be any adverse effects on the existing
systems. 3. Should any revisions to the utility services to the
building, or any work on 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 February 24,
2026, which reads as follows: "This office has reviewed the
request to operate a Class C Liquor License on the property
located at the above referenced address and has been contacted
by Detective Jeffery Ronayne of the Livonia Police Department
with a submitted request by The State of Michigan Department of
Licensing and Regulatory Affairs for liquor license approval (RID#
RQ-2511-14687). Once Capital Grille nears completion (final
completion date unknown at this time), a final Life Safety
inspection will take place and with compliance for Life Safety, a
liquor license approval will take place." The letter is signed by
Brian Kukla, Fire Marshal. The next letter is from the Division of
Police, dated February 25, 2026, 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 Brendan
Adams, Sergeant, Traffic Bureau. The next letter is from the
Finance Department, dated February 26, 2026, 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 Benjamin Grier, Director of
Finance. The next letter is from the Treasurer's Department,
dated February 23, 2026, which reads as follows: "The owner of
the property is current on their property tax." The letter is signed
by Susie Nash, Treasurer. The last letter is from the Police
Department, Special Services Bureau that reads as follows: "We
have reviewed the plans submitted by Capital Grille Holdings,
Inc., requesting waiver use approval under Sections 3.13 and
6.03 of the Livonia Zoning Ordinance, as amended, to operate a
Class C liquor license (sale of beer, wine and spirits for
consumption on the premises), and an SOM liquor license (sale
of packaged beer and wine for consumption off the premises) in
connection with a full service restaurant (Capital Grille) at 17117
North Laurel Park Drive, located on the north side of Six Mile
Road between North Laurel Park Drive and the 1-275
Expressway in the Southeast% of Section 7. The review of the
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plans has determined that there are numerous Class C licensed
businesses inside the separation requirement distance from the
proposed "Capital Grille" site. The proposed establishment is
within a multi -business entertainment area, consistent with
similar bar and restaurant clusters that collectively attract patrons
and operate successfully without unique public safety impacts.
We have no objections to the waiver being granted, contingent
that the petitioner complies with: All State Laws, City Ordinances,
Stipulations and conditions set by the Livonia Police Department,
Liquor Investigation Unit, as approved by the Chief of Police, and
Stipulations and conditions set by the Traffic Bureau of the
Livonia Police Department" The letter is signed by Jeffery
Ronayne, Special Services Bureau. That is the extent of the
correspondence.
Mr. Wilshaw: All right, thank you, Mr. Uhazie. Is there any questions for
planning staff? I don't see any questions. It's worth noting,
because we do have two letters from the Police Department. That
one letter comes from the traffic Bureau, which looks at this
petition, kind of from that Tens of view in terms of the traffic
impacts of these petitions. The other one comes from the liquor
licensing division of the police and has that sort of angle on their
commentary. So, it's just worth noting, even though we received
two letters from the police, they both have two different purposes.
So thank you. Is the petitioner here? The petitioner is in the
audience, coming forward. Start with your name and address.
Good evening, sir.
Patrick Howe, attorney for Capital Grille, 17117 North Laurel Park Drive, Livonia,
MI. Thank you for having us tonight. I was not able to attend the
study session, but the General Manager was here. As you may
have seen, the restaurants nearing completion. Looking forward
to opening in May or June. I've worked with Capitol Grille for
about 20 years. They have one location in Troy. They have an
excellent operating record. It's gonna be real asset to the city, a
real regional draw. Your traditional full service American
Steakhouse, Open for lunch and dinner, 11 am to 10pm you know,
I think it's going to create a nice district there. Real nice
redevelopment has been put in place. They have an excellent
operating record with the Liquor Control Commission. They'll
comply with all city laws, state laws and ordinances and we ask
for your support tonight, subject to waiver of the SDM and Class
C spacing restrictions. Any questions, I'm happy to answer them.
Mr. Wilshaw: Thank you. Mr. Howe, I appreciate your presentation. Is there any
questions for the petitioner's representative?
March 24, 2026
32295
Mr. Bongero: One question. Do all of the Capital Grilles have this type of
license?
Mr. Howe:
Mr. Bongero:
Mr. Howe:
Mr. Bongero:
Mr. Wilshaw:
Mr. Caramagno:
Mr. Howe:
So your typical license, Class C, in Michigan for beer, wine, spirits
on premise consumption is pretty standard now for all restaurants
to get an SDM license for beer and wine to go. And in this case,
it's usually, "Hey, I really enjoyed that glass of wine. Could I
purchase a bottle to go?" after the meal. That's usually what you
see here, but also offers an opportunity to sell a case of wine for
an offsite event, you know, private catered event. If they wanted
to get into to go orders. I don't think this concept really does, but
you're, you know, sort of your more high -volume restaurants, that
you could order a takeout order and then have it delivered by a
delivery service.
It's getting more popular.
It's getting more popular. Yeah, but in this situation, it's more, it's
more a relationship with the clientele, and more for a wine to go
sales.
Thank you.
Thank you. Mr. Bongero. Any other questions?
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I've got a question. Speaking of delivery
service, so did you say you will do carry out orders here if required
by a customer?
I believe they do take-out orders, but they're not going to partner
with like a DoorDash or something.
Mr. Caramagno: Okay. So, they will not. So, if someone wants to come get a carry
out for a meal and they want a beverage with it, they'd have to
show ID. What's your process for that?
Mr. Howe: For showing ID? It's just like serving in house. So, company
standard ID, anybody looks under 40 you can...Michigan ID or
out of state ID. The law requires that you make a diligent inquiry,
so that would typically be handled in the bar area. So, you get
your takeout order, if you have a beer or wine to go, they would
check your ID by someone that's licensed to, you know, serve
alcohol and that sale be completed right there in the store or in
the restaurant?
March 24, 2026
32296
Mr. Caramagno: I can't imagine it being a lot of business for Capital Grille.
Mr. Howe:
No, they don't really encourage that. The environment
doesn't...isn't conducive to a high volume takeout.
Mr. Caramagno: Okay? Thank you.
Mr. Wilshaw:
Ms. Dinaro:
Mr. Howe:
Ms. Dinaro:
Mr. Wilshaw:
Mr. Howe:
Mr. Wilshaw:
Thank you. Mr. Caramagno.
That was my question. So, you guys will not be doing third party
delivery services, Door, Dash, and there will definitely not be
alcohol on the third party?
The third party service is a whole other industry in Michigan, so
there's a licensed third party facilitator. So, you could go, not with
this concept, but just generally speaking, the state does have a
process for licensing these delivery services. That's not the plan
here. This is your traditional full service American steakhouse
Open for lunch and dinner.
Thank you.
Thank you. Ms. Dinaro. Any other questions? No other questions
on the board. Is there anyone in the audience wishing to speak
on this item? Mr. Howe, anything else you wanted to say? You're
good?
All set.
Thank you for coming. I appreciate your being here. Thank you.
If there's no other questions or comments from anyone, I will
close the public hearing, and a motion would be in order
On a motion by Bongero, seconded by Dinaro, and unanimously adopted, it was
#03-15-2026
RESOLVED, That pursuant to a Public Hearing having been held
by the City Planning Commission on March 24, 2026, on Petition
2026-02-02-06 submitted by Capital Grille Holdings, Inc.,
requesting waiver use approval under Sections 3.13, 6.03 and
6.22 of the Livonia Zoning Ordinance, as amended, to operate a
Class C liquor license (sale of beer, wine and spirits for
consumption on the premises), and an S.D.M. liquor license (sale
of packaged beer and wine for consumption off the premises) in
connection with a full -service restaurant (Capital Grille) at 17117
North Laurel Park Drive, located on the north side of Six Mile
March 24, 2026
32297
Road between North Laurel Park Drive and the 1-275 Expressway
in the Southeast'/4 of Section 7, the Planning Commission does
hereby recommend to the City Council that Petition 2026-02-02-
06, be approved subject to the following conditions:
1. City Council waiving the 1,000-foot separation requirement
between this location and the other existing on -premises
licensed establishments pursuant to Section 6.22(2)A).
2. That the subject site has the capacity to accommodate the
proposed use.
3. That the use of a Class C and SDM liquor license will
complement the existing use of the subject property and will
provide an additional service to customers; and
4. This waiver use is granted to this petitioner only, and any
new user of this property is required to seek and receive City
Council's consent to such user's operating the subject
facility prior to occupancy by such user.
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. 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 #2 PETITION 2026-02-02-08 Gregory Goodbred
Mr. Caramagno, Secretary, announced the first item on the agenda Petition 2026-
02-02-08 submitted by Gregory Goodbred on behalf of Garden
City Police requesting to amend Council Resolution #277-24
granted on August 26, 2024, to The Rack pool hall in connection
with the approval of a Class C liquor license, to host charity poker
games at 28410 Joy Road, located on the north side of Joy Road
between Thorpe Street and Harrison Avenue in the Southeast'%
of Section 36.
Mr. Uhazie:
This is a request to amend Council resolution number 277-24 that
was granted on August 26, 2024 to The Rack pool hall in
connection with the approval of a Class C liquor license to now
include hosting charity poker games. The Rack is located within
Mr. Wilshaw:
Mr. Uhazie:
March 24, 2026
32298
a shopping center on the north side of Joy Road between Thorpe
and Harrison Avenue. The Rack is part of a group of commercial
centers consisting of eight individually owned buildings.
Together, the buildings comprise about 26,480 square feet of
floor area. All the storefronts face southward toward Joy Road
with parking provided in the front yard. The Rack building
occupies about 6,400 square feet and is the largest of the eight
buildings located near the middle of the shopping center. The site
has 46 existing parking spaces. Per the ITE manual, billiard halls
require, on average, 43 parking spaces for a hall this size. So,
one thing to note is that with the addition of poker, the parking
could get limited at this site. If we're going off the ITE standards,
they're already almost there in compliance with that, but they are
getting close to the max number. The floor plan shows the petition
is split between a west pool hall and east pool hall to
accommodate the poker area. The interior alterations would only
affect the eastern pool hall. The rack owner has agreed to remove
three current pool tables and replace them with two or possibly
three poker tables shown here in the corner. Each table can
accommodate a max of nine players. Based on the setup, the
petitioner expects 10 to 25 poker participants throughout the day.
Staffing would consist of approximately five rotating dealers and
two floor managers. Charitable poker is treated under the
Michigan Millionaire or Million Dollar Party License. This would
be a small, regulated gaming setup, similar in nature to a bingo
hall or raffle space, not a casino. The Millionaire parties are
sanctioned and licensed by the Michigan Gaming Control Board
and operated by a licensed supplier. Charity poker events, when
conducted, must comply with the Michigan Gaming Control and
Revenue Act and be licensed by the State of Michigan. The
petition proposes operating the charity poker event four nights a
week, from Wednesday through Saturday, 2pm to 2am and they
would be limited to 20,000 chips per charity, per day. No
tournaments would be conducted on site. With that, Mr.
Chairman, I can read out the departmental correspondence.
Yes, please.
The first item is from the Engineering Division, dated March 2,
2026, 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 #28410 Joy Road. 2. The
existing parcel is currently serviced by public sanitary sewer and
water main, as well as private storm sewer. There is no mention
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of utility revisions with the proposal, so we do not believe there
will be any adverse effects on the existing systems. 3. Should any
revisions to the utility services to the building, or any work on 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 March 5, 2026, which reads as follows: "This
office has reviewed the site plan submitted in connection with the
request of the use and operation of a Class C Liquor License for
use of the property located at the above referenced address. This
office has not received a request/paperwork from the State of
Michigan through Livonia PD Detective Jeff Ronayne for a
required Liquor License occupancy Life Safety inspection. Once
the inspection is performed and approved, the event must comply
with the occupancy load of The Rack and not exceed the
approved occupancy load number. 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 March 2, 2026, which reads
as follows: "/ have reviewed the plans in connection with the
petition. I have no objections to the proposal." The letter is signed
by Brendan Adams, Sergeant, Traffic Bureau. The next letter is
from the Inspection Department, dated March 23, 2026, which
reads as follows: "Pursuant to your request, the above -
referenced Petition has been reviewed. This Department has no
objections to this Petition." The letter is signed by Jerome Hanna,
Director of Inspection. The next letter is from the Finance
Department, dated March 5, 2026, which reads as follows: "l 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 Benjamin Grier, Director of Finance. The next letter is
from the Treasurer's Department, dated February 13, 2026,
which reads as follows: "The owner of the property is current on
their property tax." The letter is signed by Susie Nash, Treasurer.
The last letter is from the Police Department, Special Services
Bureau, which reads as follows: "We have received the plans
submitted by Gregory Goodbred on behalf of The Rack
requesting waiver use approval under Sections 3.11 and 6.09 of
the Livonia Zoning Ordinance, as amended, to host charity poker
games at the existing The Rack pool hall at 28410 Joy Road,
located at the Northwest corner of Joy Road and Thorpe Street
in the southeast% of Section 36. The review of the plans has
determined that the request does not comply with the separation
requirement guidelines as it pertains to the Class C liquor license.
Mr. Wilshaw:
Ms. Dinaro:
Mr. Uhazie:
Ms. Dinaro:
Mr. Uhazie:
Ms. Dinaro:
Mr. Wilshaw:
Mr. Droze:
March 24, 2026
32300
The proposed establishment is inside the separation requirement
distance of at least four hundred (400) feet from any church or
school. Christ embassy Church located at 28350 Joy Road is fifty
(50) feet from the proposed "The Rack" site. Furthermore, the
Mirage Market at 28292 Joy Road has SOD & SOM liquor
licenses and is 378 feet from the proposed "The Rack" site. We
would recommend that the Planning Commission and City
Council consider maintaining separation requirement guidelines.
It is our opinion that these guidelines are good for local
establishment businesses and maintains Livonia's family
atmosphere." The letter is signed by Jeffrey Ronayne, Special
Services Bureau. That is the extent of the correspondence.
Are there any questions for staff?
Jacob, can you tell us a little bit about the regulatory requirements
that the city has in place for places like this? I think for me, this is
the first time something like this comes in front of us. What does
the city have in place to make sure this is this doesn't get out of
hand?
After speaking with our Law Department, as far as the zoning
ordinance is concerned, we are actually just looking at the
amendment to the liquor license approval, under the original
waiver. Since we granted the waiver for the pool hall only, now
they're amending it to include that poker element. The zoning
ordinance doesn't specify anything for gambling, per se. So,
pertaining to this, we're looking at just the use of what's going on
in The Rack to allow that Class C license.
Okay, so, how do we...so, this is charity poker operations, so
there's nothing on our books to ensure that this is charity. It would
all be through this stage, right?
Correct.
Okay, thank you.
Thank you. Any other questions?
Mr. Uhazie, we've had...this is the second site we've had in this
development in last six months or so, and that, I believe it was a.
kind of a event center that came in a couple doors down and I
remember when that site came in, we were talking a little bit about
parking, and then there's a church on the end. You talked about
the additional parking that this would require. I don't know if
Mr. Uhazie:
Mr. Droze:
Mr. Uhazie:
Mr. Droze:
Mr. Wilshaw:
March 24, 2026
32301
you've looked at this in general, but what's the general feel about
parking and are we starting to push up against...as some of these
uses start to overlap in terms of days and that sort of thing?
That's why we pulled in a little bit more detail on the ITE manual.
They are within the recommended limits by three for a pool hall
specifically. Now if you start adding in the charity poker, if they're
expecting nine to 20 people, they could start being... it could start
filling the parking lot more than was originally anticipated.
Okay, and do we know the, I guess, general operation hours of
the church on the end. Is it just Sundays, or is it?...
We do not know the exact hours. It sounds like it's probably just
limited to that. We've heard that they're there, but they're there at
pretty limited hours.
Okay, thank you.
Thank you. Mr. Droze. Any other questions for staff? I don't see
any other questions for staff. Is the petitioner in our audience?
Feek free to come forward.
Nick Tomilenko, applicant for petition, 43056 Avon Road, Canton, MI. We're both
petitioners. I wasn't out at the study meeting, but we're partners
in this and very knowledgeable on the subject. So if you guys
have any questions, just go ahead.
Greg Goodbred, .5440 W. Chicago, Livonia, MI.
Mr. Wilshaw:
Mr. Tomilenko:
Alright. Thank you. Is there anything that you'd like to tell us about
your request for this expansion of your or this change in your
licensing at this location.
So, as far as the parking goes, we kind of asked the owner of The
Rack like, when the church was there and he said, mainly on
Sunday. So, we're gonna stay away from Sundays to try and, you
know, make sure the parking, you know, down to a minimum,
because we are pushing like he said. He also mentioned too, in
terms of relevance, his pool hall usually only has about 10 to 20
people in it, so his occupancy and spaces are usually down. So
he didn't seem to be a big concern in terms of keeping our parking
with his parking and kind of the joint address. He doesn't seem to
think that parking will be an issue going with also not operating
on Sundays.
Mr. Wilshaw:
Mr. Tomilenko:
Mr. Wilshaw:
Mr. Droze:
Mr. Tomilenko:
March 24, 2026
32302
Okay, is there anything else about the poker aspect of this
request that you wanted to explain to us?
So, mostly we're going to keep it local. Livonia charities, Wayne
County. It is all regulated by the state, so they have a state
director come out every other week make sure we're following the
rules. You know, I know we had, there was Players at Levan and
Plymouth in the past, where the owner was the same owner as
the poker room. And technically that was illegal, so they had to
shut down. And then Docs had a charity room as well, but they
ended up shutting down. I don't think they're doing anything
illegal, but it was just part of the business, and they just kind of
deteriorated when Docs closed. So, for comparisons, I don't know
if you guys are familiar with Vision Lanes, they operate, that's one
of like, that'd be like our local competitor. Vision Lanes, they
operate a charity room out of the bowling alley. They've been
doing so for years, but doing so legally and pretty much they the
state regulates, like you said, they regulate what we give to
charities, making sure we're doing everything by the books. So
they allow us to take a percentage of poker hands, and then we
give half of that, 50%, to the charities that are supporting the
event. are supporting the event. Roughly, the charity will
make...we sell $20,000 maximum in chips. The charity is going
to make around like $2,500 and then, as well, I have experience
working at Vision Lanes. I dealt there for years. I helped manage,
so I know a lot of the rules that go into it and regulations.
Okay, excellent. Let's see if there's some additional questions for
you from any of my colleagues. Anyone with questions for our
petitioner?
I participated in one of these charity events years ago, and I
guess...talk a little bit about like how the cash works in this. Is
it...because I seem to remember that the charity has to bring cash
to the site, and then I guess, just kind of talk through that a little
bit, and I'm kind of thinking about just, you know, cash moving in
and out, like just, you know, looking at things that might concern
me.
It's pretty regulated, so like at the casino, when you're tipping the
dealers, you can use chips and, you know, that's no problem. But
for the charity, they have to bring singles. And when you're trying
to tip the dealer, you have to call for five singles. They give you
$5 chip. The charity gives five singles. Us running it, and anyone
who's working, the managers, the dealers, they actually can't
touch the physical money. The charity has to handle that. So,
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we're gonna have to train the charities on how to handle the
money, the process, and make sure the books are right. And
then, after the, you know, we shut down for the night, we have to
go over the books, make sure all the numbers are right, and
basically make sure everything's done correctly and complying
with the state.
Mr. Droze: In terms of that cash, because I think the charity has to bring
cash, do they? And then they have to leave. Like, how does
that...would somebody be leaving with a bunch.
Mr. Goodbred: They wouldn't really have to bring the cash, because the players
are buying in with the cash. Yeah. So they're gonna handle all the
cash.
Mr. Tomilenko: We can sell $20,000 worth of chips per day, and then you would
sell out. So, if you sold out of chips, you get enough players to
come in for $20,000 of chips it is sold out, then nobody
would...we'd be sold out for the day. That charity would be sold
out. Nobody else would be coming to play. In terms of that money,
say the state regulates $8 of rake per hand for us, we would pull
from that $20,000 maybe four grand would come off the tables.
And then the charities would get that to, like you said, $2,200-
$2,500 worth. And then me and him would just split the remaining
money and tip out dealers.
Mr. Goodbred: The charity still handles all the money, and they deposit it into
their bank. And then we would get a check the next weekend. So
we technically wouldn't touch the money, until, you know, the
charity gives us our check, okay? And then the charity, they
actually pay the rent per day of use. So, for open four days a
week, they pay roughly, I think it's $150 to $200 a day in rent to
the rack. And then, of course, the business owner, The Rack
would benefit from drinks and food sales.
Mr. Droze: But at the end of the night, the charity is...do they walk out with
the$ ,2500 or is it...?
Mr. Goodbred: Yeah, there's usually like three to four people that are working a
single charity. So it's pretty well organized. And, you know, we
make sure they go got safely to their cars and all that.
Mr. Droze: Okay? Thank you.
Mr. Wilshaw: Thank you. Mr. Droze. Ms. Dinaro.
March 24, 2026
32304
Ms. Dinaro: Can you explain to me how it works for charities? Do you guys go
out and find the charities? Are they coming to you? How are
you...? What's your process? Are you making sure they are
501(c)(3), walk me through that process, please.
Mr. Tomilenko: Yes. So basically, I mean, we'd have to go to charities like I said.
We're going to start with local charities, youth sports, veterans,
somewhat of that. And then basically we would have to do the
research, make sure they're regulated. They have the 501(c)(3)
or, I think that's what it's called. There's a process if they don't
have it. They have to go through the state, get approved, which
is usually about a one -to -two -month process, and then they're
only allowed to operate, I think it's four times a year, or four
separate weeks a year, so 16 different sessions. So roughly, we
need about 12 to 14 charities a year. If we're only running one
charity per week. Vision lanes, they run two charities a week
because they've been established for about 10 to 15 years. So,
to start, if we get approved, we're only going to start with one
charity. Make sure we're doing everything right. The numbers are
right. Everything makes sense.
Ms. Dinaro: And do they bring in their own poker players? Or is it open to the
public?
Mr. Tomilenko: Yeah, so it's open to the public. They are just coming to help run
it. And they have no, you know, they don't tell people to come
play or anything. We're already going to have an established
player base based on like, you know, we have really good
connections. We've been in the poker scene for about 20 years
now, so we're pretty well established with the community.
Ms. Dinaro: Thank you.
Mr. Wilshaw: Thank you. Ms. Dinaro. Any other questions?
Mr. Bongero: So in a given night, if you're doing good, you'll do 20 grand in
cash.
Mr. Goodbred: Yes.
Mr. Bongero: How many nights a week?
Mr. Tomilenko: So, we're gonna be working four nights a week, hopefully, and
then...so the $20,000, it's not gonna be like, oh, there's $20,000
at the night the charity has. There's gonna be cash out. So, a
player buys in $200 you know, they can either, they could lose it,
Mr. Bongero:
Mr. Tomilenko:
Mr. Bongero:
Mr. Wilshaw:
March 24, 2026
32305
but if someone cashed out $1,000, they're gonna go up to the
charity with a rack of chips. You know, here, I'm here to cash out.
They'll give them $1,000.
So, in a given week, say you guys are just hammering it every
night, you're maxed out. So there could be, in essence, be $80
grand that cycles through that facility in cash. So, how is it?
What's the security like there? How's that money secure?
Keeping somebody from coming in and holding up the call or
something?
Well, no problem. Well, we're gonna work on getting a security
guard, but the camera is already well established in the place. We
are going to focus on getting more just to surround the poker
room and make sure everything's secure. There's only...we're
going to be away from the entrance, so it's not like someone
would just run in there, like, give me all the money. You know, I
think we're going to be well secured in the location, we've talked
about it, and we're going to have more security cameras on site,
if we get approved, and make sure everything is done right, and
make sure everyone's safe.
Okay. Thank you.
Thank you. Mr. Bongero. Any other questions?
Mr. Caramagno: Tell me a little bit about the hours that this is proposed to operate.
Mr. Goodbred: Right now, the schedule is 2pm to 2am, ideally, Wednesday
through a little bit into the weekend, Wednesday to Saturday.
Mr. Caramagno: So, you'll be open till 2am. Is it a hard cut off?
Mr. Tomilenko:
Mr. Goodbred:
Mr. Caramagno:
Yeah, it wouldn't go past that. Usually, it would stop around 1:30
because it's going to take about a half hour to go over the
numbers, make sure there's no money missing and make sure
everything's done correctly. It could, if it sells out at $20,000 at
9pm, then we'd have to close down once all the chips are either
cashed out or they're done playing. So it could end...
it would be a hard stop, but like, ideally, that we sell out before
then, like you.
So if it goes to 2am, last hand is the last hand, then you have to
get your finances in order for the night. So what time does The
Rack stay open until?
March 24, 2026
32306
Mr. Goodbred: Right now, I believe they're open till one or 1:30.
Mr. Caramagno: So, they're extending their hours for the operation of the gambling
poker room. And then if you close up, last hand, let's just say two
in the morning, best case, in other words, for you, then you have
to make good on your financial arrangements. So is it possible
you don't get out of it until three in the morning?
Mr. Goodbred: I don't think it would take that long, and I think we'd have to talk
to The Rack. I'm pretty sure it one or 2am. Ut might be two, but it
could be one. Yeah, it's something we're slacking on, but anyway
would focus on probably being closed when they're closed. So it
might be 1 am that we would shut down because we don't want to
extend their hours and cut in.
Mr. Caramagno: Okay, so those details a little loose as well as security. What type
of other gambling is here in Livonia? You mentioned Doc's. Doc's
has been gone for, hell, probably five to six years now, maybe
longer. The one on Plymouth Road is closed up for illegal
gambling. Is there any others in Livonia? Or where is the next
closest, other than I think you do something in Canton.
Mr. Tomilenko: There's the Ivory Room, and then there's Vision Lanes on Ford.
Both of those on Ford and Hicks.
Mr. Caramagno: The ivory room on Ford Road.
Mr. Goodbred: Yeah, same owners.
Mr. Tomilenko: But they're struggling at that location.
Mr. Caramagno: Why are they struggling?
Mr. Goodbred: A lot of the tables is really outdated. Their venues, not the
greatest. Bowling alleys not the greatest idea to where we would
kind of go more....do it right. Expensive tables are not ripping the
chairs are they don't stink, stuff like that. Just creating a good
esthetic. Open pool room too. If players were waiting, they could
shoot pool. It's just a more desirable area. We think we'd sell out.
And like I said, we would make sure we do it right. Just even being
a police officer, like that's going to be my obsession, just making
sure the books are right, and the charities are getting what's owed
to them. That's why Doc's failed.
March 24, 2026
32307
Mr. Caramagno: So it's my next question. So why? Why The Rack? Why this
location? There's a million bars. Why this location?
Mr. Tomilenko: So I personally know Richie Issa. Issa took over ownership, but
I've been playing poker with Richie for a while now at MGM
Vision, and we've built a relationship. And he knew I was kind of
looking for an establishment to maybe run a charity poker room
at. So he actually came to me and asked me if I'd be willing to
help him open one in his room. which is desirable too, because
they're a sustained business. They've been around, I think, over
20 years now, so we know they're not really going anywhere in
terms of, he said it was Doc's. They were a bar owner. Was it
Doc's?
Mr. Tomilenko: They just closed down, but it was Players.
Mr. Goodbred: The business is going to is going to be there.
Mr. Caramagno: Okay, thanks, guys.
Mr. Wilshaw: Any other questions for the petitioner?
Mr. Bongero: Just one quick follow up. So, you're a police officer?
Mr. Goodbred: Yeah.
Mr. Bongero: So you're gonna be there most of the time?
Mr. Goodbred: I'm gonna be there. That's why we're kind of doing it. It's easier to
run this as a partnership. I'm gonna be there as much as humanly
possible, and then he would be there the rest of the time. And
there'll be a lot of times where we're there together.
Mr. Bongero: I think that'd be a good idea.
Mr. Goodbred: Absolutely. And we already know, like, for the security issue, like,
that's already been brought up. Issa, owner of The Rack, didn't
have a huge concern, but we thought of it as well. And we do
have a security guy also, that's a poker player that is interested
in possibly starting off at that as well. Okay, yeah, we don't mind
paying a security guard. Yeah, a fee per
Mr. Bongero: Gotcha. Thank you.
Mr. Long:
March 24, 2026
32308
I pulled up The Rack's website, and they're open until midnight
during the week and 2am on the weekends, so you're just gonna
adhere to their hours then?
Mr. Tomilenko: Yeah, that's something we'll definitely talk about and establish
definitely, yeah, we can work out...maybe, I think even like 12pm
would be just fine. So, like I said, we don't have to extend their
hours or operation for the poker charity.
Mr. Long: You said you're very familiar with the poker community. So, are
you planning to cannibalize from the casinos in Detroit? Is that
where you're going to draw your players from?
Mr. Tomilenko: So, you're not really supposed to advertise, right? So, I mean,
there's a gray area too. Obviously, if you're like, close with
someone, you say, hey, come check out our new place,.but the
state doesn't really want you advertising, you know, on a website
or anything like that. So, it's more kind of word of mouth and
spreading the word out, which we still don't think there would be
a problem getting people.
Mr. Long: So, is it just Hold 'em? Is that what you play?
Mr. Tomilenko: Yes, it'd be Texas Hold 'em, maybe a little Omaha four card,
which is very common in poker rooms nowadays. And last year,
Motor City, their room shut down. The only poker room in
downtown is MGM that's left. So, we think we can maybe get
some of those people that are missing out on those poker rooms,
since ifs a little in between Vision and downtown.
Mr. Long:
Okay, thank you. So, if this does pass, I know you've kind of
emphasized it here, but I really highly recommend that you come
up with a better security plan than you seem to have at this point.
Thanks.
Mr. Wilshaw: Thank you. Mr. Long. Any other questions?
Mr. Caramagno: I've got a question. Sorry, but why does the state not want you to
advertise your business? Why would they tell you to not
advertise? What's the reason for that?
Mr. Tomilenko: So, you know, I think it's mainly because the casinos...they're not
really big fans of charity poker because you're taking...they've
never really been a big fan, but the state's always regulated at
some ifs just very regulated, and there's a bunch of gray area,
but they like make it so, you know, you have to tip with the ones
March 24, 2026
32309
instead of the chips, so it's a little harder for the dealers. You
know, it's just a lot more regulated and make sure everything's,
you know, following the rules and all that.
Mr. Caramagno: Okay, thanks.
Mr. Wilshaw:
Mr. Tomilenko:
Mr. Wilshaw:
Mr. Tomilenko:
Mr. Wilshaw:
Mr. Tomilenko:
Mr. Wilshaw:
Mr. Tomilenko:
Mr. Wilshaw:
Mr. Tomilenko:
Mr. Wilshaw:
Mr. Goodbred:
Any other questions, I just have a couple brief ones. How many
tables do they run at Vision Lanes? Do you know?
They have about, I think 11 there. But they also run big
tournaments, so that cuts into their $20,000 they're able to sell
per charity. They have three cash tables, and then I think seven
or eight tournament tables.
Okay, yeah, I'm aware of Vision Lanes being a very popular
operation for the poker tournaments. I have friends that go there
from all over.
Yeah, the owners are former Westland cops too.
And as far as you guys proposing this poker operation at the pool
hall, I don't know if I fully understood kind of the genesis of how
this happened. But is it, did the pool hall owner come to you? Did
you go to him? Why is this coming up?
The pool owner came directly to me. He heard from someone that
I was looking to open a charity room in a well -established
business, because that's part of the rules. You got to have an
established business three years or more, and he just came to
me and asked me if I'd be willing to try and open one inside of his
pool room.
Okay, so he's willing to sacrifice three tables from his location for
this.
Yes.
Okay, I see, all right, that's kind of where I was headed, was to
understand, you know, the impact that it would have.
I know it's not the best drawing,
But it gets the point across. That's fine.
He'll benefit, he thinks, from obviously the charities assisting in
the rent of the building, as well as the foot traffic for food and
Mr. Wilshaw:
Mr. Tomilenko:
Mr. Wilshaw:
March 24, 2026
32310
drinks, because that's all still The Rack, and he gets all of that
revenue because it is a separate business in a business.
Sure makes sense. Appreciate that. Do we have any other
questions from the Commission? Is there anyone in the audience
wishing to speak on this item, for or against? I don't see anyone
coming forward. Is there anything else that you would like to tell
us before we make our decision.
I don't think so.
I always like to give you the last word, I'm good, you're good. All
right, excellent. If that's the case, I'm going to close the public
hearing, and a motion would be in order.
RESOLVED, That the City Planning Commission does hereby
recommend to the City Council that Petition 2026-02-02-08
submitted by Gregory Goodbred on behalf of the Rack Charity
Poker requesting to amend Council Resolution #277-24 granted
on August 26, 2024, to The Rack pool hall in connection with the
approval of a Class C liquor license, to host charity poker games
at 28410 Joy Road, located on the north side of Joy Road
between Thorpe Street and Harrison Avenue in the Southeast'
of Section 36., be approved for the following reasons:
1. The operation of charity poker games shall comply with all
applicable provisions of the Michigan Gaming Control Board
and the Michigan Liquor Control Commission, including
obtaining and maintaining all required permits and licenses.
2. Charity poker activities shall be limited to hours consistent
with the approved liquor license and shall be conducted
entirely within the designated interior area of the
establishment. No outdoor gaming activities shall be
permitted, and such use shall not interfere with required
parking, ingress/egress, or adjacent properties, consistent
with applicable provisions of the Livonia Zoning Ordinance.
3. The petitioner shall provide appropriate on -site supervision
and security during all charity gaming events to ensure
public safety and compliance with City ordinances. Any
issues related to noise, loitering, or nuisance activities shall
be promptly addressed to the satisfaction of the City's
Inspection Department and Police Department.
March 24, 2026
32311
4. That charity poker hours are limited to the same hours of
operation as the Rack Pool Hall.
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.
Approving motion made by Long.
The motion failed due to lack of support.
A roll call vote on the foregoing resolution resulted in the following:
AYES: Long, Bongero,
NAYS: Droze, Dinaro, Caramagno, Wilshaw
ABSENT: Ventura
ABSTAIN: None
Mr. Wilshaw: The motion fails. Does someone else have an alternative motion
they would like to offer?
On a motion by Droze, seconded by Dinaro, and adopted, it was
#03-16-2025
RESOLVED, That the City Planning Commission does hereby
recommend to the City Council that Petition 2026-02-02-08
submitted by Gregory Goodbred on behalf of the Rack Charity
Poker requesting to amend Council Resolution #277-24 granted
on August 26, 2024, to The Rack pool hall in connection with the
approval of a Class C liquor license, to host charity poker games
at 28410 Joy Road, located on the north side of Joy Road
between Thorpe Street and Harrison Avenue in the Southeast %
of Section 36., be denied for the following reasons:
1. The proposed expansion of gaming activities is not
consistent with the character of the surrounding commercial
corridor and may introduce additional impacts, including
noise, traffic, and late -night activity, that are not compatible
with adjacent uses.
2. The addition of charity poker operations in conjunction with
an existing liquor establishment may intensify the use of the
site beyond what was originally approved, creating concerns
related to over -concentration of such activities and potential
negative effects on public safety.
March 24, 2026
32312
3. The increased intensity of use associated with charity poker
events may result in parking deficiencies and circulation
conflicts on -site, contrary to the intent of the off-street
parking requirements outlined in the Livonia Zoning
Ordinance.
4. That the petitioner has failed to affirmatively show that the
proposed utilization of a Class C liquor license at this
location would comply with all the general waiver use
standards and requirements as set forth in Section 6.22 of
the Livonia Zoning Ordinance.
5. Approval of the amendment could establish an undesirable
precedent for similar requests within the City, potentially
leading to an overconcentration of gaming -related activities
in commercial districts without sufficient regulatory controls.
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. Wilshaw: Is there any discussion?
Mr. Wilshaw, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution
adopted.
ITEM #3 PETITION 2026-02-02-09 Axe Parlor
Mr. Caramagno, Secretary, announced the first item on the agenda Petition 2026-
02-02-09 submitted by C3 Michigan, LLC on behalf of The Axe
Parlor requesting waiver use approval under Sections 3.11 and
6.22 of the Livonia Zoning Ordinance, as amended, to operate a
Class C liquor license (sale of beer, wine and spirits for
consumption on the premises) at 15970 Middlebelt Road, located
on the east side of Middlebelt Road between Sunnydale Street
and Terrence Avenue in the southwest 1/4 of Section 13.
Mr. Uhazie: This is a request to operate indoor recreational axe throwing
establishment, which originally opened at 30959 Five Mile Road
in the Livonia Plaza Shopping Center with an on -premises Class
C liquor license. The petitioner is proposing no changes to the
exterior of the building. It is the southern building portion of this
building shown here. It is next to the existing Banks vacuums, and
it is the site of the former Anytime Fitness. The current zoning is
C-2, in the front and a portion is zoned P for parking in the rear.
Adjacent properties to the east are residential, zoned RUF. West
Mr. Wilshaw:
Mr. Uhazie:
March 24, 2026
32313
across Middle Belt is a pharmacy zoned C-1 and a residential
property zoned RUF, as well. South across Sunnydale Street is
the Detroit Korean Seventh Day Advent church and to the north
is a commercial property zoned C-1. The proposal shows a floor
plan with five throwing areas spread across the building. Each
arena has seating and viewing area. The bar would be located at
the center of the building and would only offer a selection of
canned alcoholic beverages. Section 6.22 of the zoning
ordinance treats Class C as a waiver -use in the C-2 district.
Section 6.22 prohibits establishments having a liquor license with
a Class C from operating within 1,000 feet of each other. A
number of existing Class C liquor licenses are within the 1,000
foot buffer area that includes Steve's Family Diner, which is 460
feet away. As such, City Council would require be required to
waive the separation requirements. Section 6.22 specifies that
the proposed liquor establishment cannot be located 400 feet
from any church or building or school building, As mentioned, the
Detroit Korean Seventh Day Advent church is within the 400 foot
buffer as well. With that, Mr. Chairman, I can read out the
departmental correspondence.
Yes, please.
The first item is from the Engineering Division, dated March 2,
2026, 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 overall address of #15986 Middlebelt
Road, with the address of #15970 being assigned to one of units
inside of the building. 2. The existing parcel is currently serviced
by public sanitary sewer and water main, as well as private storm
sewer. There is no mention of utility revisions with the proposal,
so we do not believe there will be any adverse effects on the
existing systems. 3. Should any revisions to the utility services to
the building, or any work on 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 March 5,
2026, which reads as follows: "This office has not reviewed the
site plan submitted in connection with modification construction
and use of the property located at the above referenced address.
Since this division has not received an official plan set with
permits to perform an official plan review, a Class C Liquor
License Life Safety inspection cannot be performed. further
March 24, 2026
32314
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 March 2, 2026,
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 Brendan Adams, Sergeant, Traffic Bureau. The next
letter is from the Inspection Department, dated March 23, 2026,
which reads as follows: "Pursuant to your request, the above -
referenced Petition has been reviewed. 1. The proposed location
is closer than 400 feet to a church. 2. There is currently no
dumpster enclosure located on site. An enclosure shall be
provided in accordance with the ordinance. 3. The parking lot
shall be repaired and restriped as necessary. Parking spaces
shall be 10' wide and 20' deep and double -striped. 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 March 5, 2026, which
reads as follows: "1 have reviewed the addresses connected with
the above noted petition. The following amounts are due to the
City of Livonia: Unpaid water and sewer charges (Due 3/10/26):
(includes past due balance of $294.08 and penalty of $29.41)
Total Due City of Livonia $594.98." The letter is signed by
Benjamin Grier, Director of Finance. The next letter is from the
Treasurer's Department, dated February 13, 2026, which reads
as follows: "The owner of the property is current on their property
tax. In addition, Axe Parlor is in good standing with their current
location on Five Mile Road." The letter is signed by Susie Nash,
Treasurer. The last letter is from the Special Services Bureau,
dated March 4, 4026, which reads as follows: "We have reviewed
the plans submitted by C3 Michigan, LLC on behalf of The Axe
Parlor requesting waiver use approval under Section s 3.11 and
6.22 of the Livonia Zoning Ordinance, as amended , to operate a
Class C liquor license (sale of beer, wine and spirit s for
consumption on the premises) at 15970 Middlebelt Road, located
on the east side of Middlebelt Road between Sunnydale Street
and Terrence Avenue in the southwest% of Sect ion 13. The
review of the plans has determined that the request does not
comply with the separation requirement guidelines. Steve's
Family Dining at 15800 Middlebelt (600 feet), which holds a Class
C liquor license is well within the one thousand (1,000) foot
separation requirement distance of the proposed site. Also, the
Detroit Korea n SDA Church at 15956 Middlebelt (100 feet) is well
within the (400) four -hundred -foot separation requirement
distance of the proposed site. We have no objections to the
waiver being grant ed, contingent that the petitioner complies
with: All State Laws, City Ordinances, Stipulations and conditions
Mr. Wilshaw:
March 24, 2026
32315
set by the Livonia Police Department, Liquor Investigation Unit,
as approved by the Chief of Police, and Stipulations and
conditions set by the Traffic Bureau of the Livonia Police
Department." That is the extent of the correspondence.
Thank you, Mr. Uhazie. Is there any questions for staff? Seeing
none. Our petitioner in the audience. There she is. Hi, good
evening. Name and address for our record.
Chevon Rogers, 15970 Middle Belt, Livonia, MI.
Mr. Wilshaw: Thank you. Ms. Rogers. Is there anything you'd like to tell us
about your request?
Ms. Rogers: Not really. We're just relocating to a larger space and want to
transfer our license to that location.
Mr. Wilshaw: Okay, very good. Let's see if there's some questions for you. Any
questions for our petitioner?
Mr. Droze: Just a quick one, I think, a note from the Building Department
about doing some improvements, getting a dumpster enclosure.
Is that something you're able to do as part of your proposal?
Ms. Rogers: I will have to talk to Ken Banks, who's the owner of the property,
but yeah, I'm sure he could. Yeah.
Mr. Droze: Okay, thank you.
Mr. Wilshaw: Thank you, Mr. Droze. Any other questions for the petitioner.
Mr. Caramagno: You're going to talk to the owner of the property. This is a lease
that you're doing here.
Ms. Rogers: Yes.
Mr. Caramagno: You're not owning the property?
Ms. Rogers: Yeah, we don't own the property.
Mr. Caramagno: Okay, Long term lease? Something that will last a number of
years, or what?
Ms. Rogers: Yes, so five-year lease currently, so hopefully longer.
March 24, 2026
32316
Mr. Caramagno: Okay. And the reason you moved is because you need more
space?
Ms. Rogers: Yep, yep.
Mr. Caramagno: Okay, good, excellent.
Mr. Wilshaw: Thank you.
Mr. Bongero: There was a couple notes from the Building Department. One
was as Mr. Droze stated, they want a dumpster enclosure, which
is required. There's not even an enclosure anywhere on that
property, so it wouldn't be just for you, but probably a shared one.
I would think, because there's...
Ms. Rogers:
Mr. Bongero:
Ms. Rogers:
Mr. Bongero:
Ms. Rogers:
Mr. Bongero:
Ms. Rogers:
There is two dumpsters back there that I've seen.
They have to be enclosed though.
They're not right now.
Then the front parking lot is in some disrepair. The catch basin
out front has a cone.
Yeah, there is a cone in the front. I've noticed.
So, you might want to mention that to your landlord. It might be
a condition to this.
I'II mention that to him. Thank you.
Mr. Wilshaw: Alright, any other questions for the petitioner? Nothing else.
Anyone in the audience wishing to speak on this item. There's
someone in the audience. If you want to come ahead and come
forward. Ms. Rogers, if you want to just take a seat and we'll get
you back up here afterward. Hi. Good evening, ma'am.
Lisa Bame, 29205 Sunnydale, Livonia, MI. That is the home directly across from
the proposed new establishment. My mother and my husband,
we all live together one big, happy family. So, my concern is, you
mentioned there's no dumpster Currently, there are piles and
piles of carpet that have been there for weeks that is already like,
not only an eyesore, but it's also probably getting a lot of
unwanted visitors to the area. So that's not setting very well to
start. I'm concerned about the noise. I'm concerned about the
parking most of all, because we already are wonderful neighbors.
March 24, 2026
32317
The church that butts up right next to my property, they have
spillage over onto our street, because there's not a lot of parking.
That parking area is not very big in the front or the back, and I'm
concerned. We've had several times our mail hasn't gotten
delivered because people have been parking in front of our
mailbox, and the mail lady is like, you know, you can't have
anyone park there and I am like, I can't control, you know, the
parking so that's a big concern as well. But also, I'm concerned
about the noise. Unfortunately, with alcohol, sometimes it can
bring in an element of unwanted conflict, so I'm concerned about
that as well. We've lived there for 30 years, and it's been several
businesses in that area, but there's never been anything like this
proposed so and Mom, did you want to say anything else? Well,
I don't know if you can reach up.
Janice Beg, 29205 Sunnydale, Livonia, MI. I live with Lisa and Randy. My concern
is this is supposed to be a Planning Commission, right?
Mr. Wilshaw: Correct.
Ms. Beg:
But yet, when I go on the internet, I see that address already on
the Internet. I see a lot of activity going in, where there is things
coming out and things coming in. Now that parking lot directly
across from my bedroom is always have trucks and Banks is
always delivering things, and there's always a lot of noise there,
from, say, 9am to four, so then from four to 2am is there going to
be additional noise and additional...my bedroom faces the street.
My other concern is it's a neighborhood. Children are on bicycles.
People walk their dogs. This is a axe throwing bar, you know. And
I know I'm not very contemporary when it comes to having fun,
but to me, an ax throwing bar is a little bit interesting and different.
But why not further south and maybe the strip mall, not on the
corner where there is children and pets and me, and I use my
scooter, and I'm out there a lot, so that is my concern. So, thank
you.
Mr. Wilshaw: Thank you for speaking, and I do appreciate you projecting your
voice. Ma'am. It makes it very easy to hear you well.
Ms. Beg:
Thank you, because it's very important to me and my safety in
particular. I hear that the trucks and everything all day long. If you
can get that carpet taken care of that'd be great, because that
carpets been getting rained on and everything else. And I have
pictures.
Mr. Wilshaw:
March 24, 2026
32318
So, we hear your comments, and what we're going to do is, first,
we're going to see if there's anyone else in the audience wishing
to speak. I don't see anyone else wishing to speak on this. Ms,
Rogers, what We try not to do is get into like a back and forth
debate between people, but you did hear some concerns over the
existing trash situation, which is obviously your landlord's issue,
some concern about the possible noise that may happen from
this business, and then also the parking situation. If you'd like to
address particularly the noise and parking, because I think those
are more relevant to your particular business. And if you do know
anything about the carpet, please make sure you speak into the
mic and to us. Thank you.
Ms. Rogers: Obviously moving into a new location, you have some
renovations to do. That was an Anytime Fitness. They had turf
and rubber and all this kind of stuff on the floor. That's all been
removed. So, it has been out there for a week waiting for us to be
able to load that up and take it to the city dump so that will be
removed. We didn't have a dumpster at the time, and we can't put
it in the regular dumpster, I don't think so, because I don't know if
the trash will take that so that is going to be removed. As far as
parking. people are here for an hour. We have five lanes, so
we've got, maybe, possibly, you know, if we're really full, we have
five groups, maybe two or four people. They're there for an hour,
and they move out and so the parking I don't think is going to be
an issue. We do have larger events occasionally, but not very
often, maybe a couple times a year, that would probably fill up
that back parking lot, but I don't see it spilling out into the road or
anything like that. And as far as noise is concerned, we do have
a barrier between the wall and where the axes are thrown. So,
we have a probably two three quarter inch plywood on the wall,
and then we have two by sixes on the backing, and then two by
sixes on the front for the target. So, the noise, I don't think will be
an issue. I mean, we were in a strip center down the road, and
we had a tenant next to us, and we never heard any complaints.
Mr. Wilshaw: So, okay, I think you, yeah, we don't want to, we don't want to get
back and forth, but I do want to appreciate the fact that you're at
least answering some of these concerns.
Ms. Rogers: And actually, only two lanes are towards the road, the other three
are towards Banks's storage facility next door, so only two lanes
would be actually toward the road where your house is. So, I
really don't think the noise would be an issue.
Mr. Wilshaw:
Ms. Rogers:
Mr. Wilshaw:
Ms. Rogers:
Mr. Wilshaw:
Ms. Dinaro:
Ms. Rogers:
March 24, 2026
32319
I want to ask you a question, kind of, in relation to the parking
specifically. What is your peak time that people come in to your
facility?
So I would say on Saturdays, is our busiest night. I'd say between
four and maybe eight or nine during the week. I mean, we're open
from four to 10, but usually by nine or 830 I'm closing. So that's
probably our peak time of Saturday.
It's safe to say that the Bank's vacuum is basically a nine to five
operation, and you're going to be have more of your peak time,
perhaps in the evenings and on weekends, which is going to allow
for the parking to kind of settle itself in case there's a little
overflow. That's kind of what I am getting at.
Yes, correct. Banks will close at what, five or so, and we peak an
hour or two after that, so there won't be any really overflow for the
parking there.
Okay, I just want to make sure that you do have sufficient parking.
So, it sounds like that's being addressed. All right, is there any
questions from any of my colleagues in relation to what we've
heard?
Just a quick question. You guys are reservation only, like people
have to reserve the lanes, so you're not going to get 100 people
to show up at a time.
No, and we do accept walk ins, but it's really rare, and most of
the time when we accept the walk in, it's a Groupon, and they
have to call to reserve it, or if they can't use a Groupon. So
typically, yeah, there's reservations.
Ms. Dinaro: Thank you.
Ms. Rogers: Yep. And can I just address to the alcohol? I mean, people are
there for an hour, they have maybe a drink or two, and our staff
is very well trained in, you know, controlling that situation. So, we
don't have anyone, you know, out of control. We've never had an
incident with the city at all with our liquor license. So, we do
definitely keep a very close eye on that. So that's not anything
really to be concerned about.
Mr. Wilshaw: How many years have you been in operation in your Five Mile
location?
March 24, 2026
32320
Ms. Rogers: Three years now.
Mr. Wilshaw: And have you had any issues with the mixture of alcohol and
these bladed instruments? No one injured themselves or
anything.
Ms. Rogers:
Mr. Wilshaw:
Mr. Droze:
No, we have not, because we have really strict rules. I mean, you
can't drink in the lanes. You can't even stand in the lane and reach
over and drink. You can't bring food in the lanes. I mean, we have
pretty strict rules on that.
And the reason I ask those questions, and just to kind of get that
on record, is because these were questions that were asked of
you three years ago when you were here, and because we felt
the same way. It's like this is kind of a interesting mix of, you
know, mixing axes and alcohol together, right? That may not be
a good combination. So, we do now have three years of
experience to look at and see kind of how things have gone. So,
I just want to address that.
Just a quick one. Looks like there's lighting in the rear yard, the
back parking lot. Do you anticipate any changes to that, or is that
going to kind of operate as it does now?
Ms. Rogers: The lighting?
Mr. Droze: Yeah, for the parking lot.
Ms. Rogers: I don't anticipate any changes. So, you said there is lighting back
there? It looks like there's some on
Mr. Droze:
Ms. Rogers:
Mr. Droze:
It looks like there's some on the building. And I'm just wondering,
because you might be changing... it sounds like it's going to work
a little bit later than Banks does.
And, yeah, no, I don't think there's any changes. I actually haven't
seen the lighting back there yet So, but, yeah, I don't think so.
Okay, if there is, I guess, a change in that, it'd be interested to
know. But if it's already there and it's sufficient, that's fine. Just
want to ask about that. Thank you.
Mr. Wilshaw: You're welcome. Alright. Any other questions?
Mr. Caramagno: I've got a question for us. She's going to lease property from
Banks. We're asking for property improvements from Banks,
Mr. Wilshaw:
March 24, 2026
32321
including the parking lot, perhaps the lighting, dumpster
enclosure, or enclosures, because they don't have either at this
property? Is it fair to strap her with those requirements without
talking to the owner of the property?
We certainly have had restrictions, or, I should say, conditions in
our approving resolutions in the past that sort of encumber the
owner to satisfy things for a lesser or lessee of the property, but
that is certainly something we can consider if we want to do that
or not.
Mr. Caramagno: I understand that, but you know, it could prevent her from opening
her business because of property improvements on a property
she's leasing. So just something to be, be thoughtful of as we're
voting on this. We hate to potentially make you not operate
because the landlord maybe won't cooperate. So just a concern
I've got right now.
Ms. Rogers: I mean, my experience with him is he's a pretty great person, so
I think that he would, you know, help us with whatever we needed
to do.
Mr. Caramagno: So well, I get that he might be great until he's got to redo that
parking lot and enclosures. And next thing you know, he's, you
know, $40 grand in a hole over this deal.
Ms. Rogers: Anytime Fitness was there prior to us. So, what happened with
the dumpster enclosures in the parking with that?
Mr. Caramagno: I don't... that's why I'm saying it came up now, that's what I'm
saying. So, anyhow, just a comment of mine. That's all it is.
Mr. Wilshaw: Very good. Thank you. Mr. Bongero.
Mr. Bongero: Did you pull building permit?
Ms. Rogers: Have I pulled a building permit?
Mr. Bongero: It looked like people were working in there.
Ms. Rogers: We're moving our stuff in there.
Mr. Bongero: Have you started any construction?
March 24, 2026
32322
Ms. Rogers. No construction. We're just moving our stuff from one location to
the other. There's no electrical or anything like that being done.
Are you going to be no no, everything is all in place.
Mr. Bongero: Because if you had a permit, I would have suspected that the
Building Department would have picked up on the dumpster
enclosure and the parking lot.
Ms. Rogers: Yeah, no, we haven't had to have that from what we're doing,
because we're just moving our tables and all that stuff over there.
Mr. Bongero: Okay, yeah, thank you. You definitely should follow up with him.
Ms. Rogers: Sure, with the owner you mean?
Mr. Bongero: Yeah.
Ms. Rogers: I will. Thank you.
Mr. Bongero: Thank you.
Mr. Wilshaw: Mr. Long.
Mr. Long: So, you've already signed the lease.
Ms. Rogers: Yes.
Mr. Long: You already did, and you're doing the improvements yourself?
Ms. Rogers: Yes.
Mr. Long: And you did that before you got permission to move this?
Ms. Rogers: I did that before we got permission to move our liquor license.
Yes, yeah.
Mr. Long: So, you really put yourself at risk here.
Ms. Rogers: Yes, we really didn't have a choice.
Mr. Long: Okay, I have frequented your establishment. I like it there. Talk
about the lanes, the individual lanes. You already talked about
the rules, but you have somebody on each lane enforcing that.
Ms. Rogers: Yes, we have an ax master at every lane.
Mr. Long:
Ms. Rogers:
Mr. Long:
March 24, 2026
32323
That's for safety and security to make sure that, because you
have the tables back here for eating and drinking, and the axes
up here, and, like you said, you can't even reach back.
Right. So, we have...our lanes are all enclosed. We have wire,
what do you call gates between them, and we have an axe master
on every lane that goes over safety first, and then they're pretty
much there the whole time that you are throwing their axes.
Yeah, my experience with the place, and would you agree with
the statement, people don't go there to drink. People go to throw
axes and they want to drink while they're doing that.
Ms. Rogers: Right.
Mr. Long:
Okay. Have you ever operated with the doors open, like for a
breeze, or anything like that? You know, you prop the front doors,
yeah. Like, you know, at the old place.
Ms. Rogers: If it was a nice day, maybe.
Mr. Long: I would suggest that you don't do that.
Ms. Rogers: Okay.
Mr. Long: Because you have neighbors that are concerned about the noise.
Ms. Rogers: That's no problem.
Mr. Long: And in the contained area, you don't hear a thing, right? I mean,
if you're outside and the door is closed, you don't hear a thing. So
as long as you're doing your part to contain the noise, they should
never hear a thing.
Ms. Rogers: Correct.
Mr. Long: So I would highly suggest that. That's all I have. Mr. Chair. Thank
you,
Mr. Wilshaw: Thank you, Mr. Long.
Mr. Uhazie: One thing to note that this is just for the liquor license, so like if
they were just wanting to operate as an axe parlor, they are
allowed as a permitted use to operate. They need to get the
proper inspection for the Certificate of Occupancy from the
March 24, 2026
32324
Inspection Department, but this would only pertain to their liquor
portion.
Mr. Wilshaw: You took the words out of my mouth. I was about to say that
because, yeah, in reality, they can operate their business without
any approval from us right now. It's the liquor license that they're
looking to get approval for. So, any other questions, comments?
Mr. Caramagno: Let me also just say what you brought up is pertinent to this in the
way of a dumpster. How much garbage do you generate in a
week?
Ms. Rogers: Not very much.
Mr. Caramagno: So, because of this location where you're at, you're allowed to put
garbage on the side street in containers as part of the Livonia
rubbish program. So, you don't necessarily need a dumpster back
there, which it then will keep less traffic, less trucks more quiet.
You could put trash on the side street in rubbish containers,
residential style containers, and it save you a little bit of money.
Ms. Rogers: Yeah.
Mr. Caramagno: It will save a truck from coming in there once a week to dump
your trash, right? So, then that takes the dumpster situation back
to Banks, his own separate deal.
Ms. Rogers: Okay.
Mr. Caramagno: Tthat may save you some heartburn with that as well.
Ms. Rogers: I didn't know you could do that.
Mr. Caramagno: You can, yeah.
Ms. Rogers: We maybe have, you know, a garbage container a week.
Mr. Caramagno: That's probably your avenue to go for a variety of reasons.
Ms. Rogers: Thank you for that.
Mr. Caramagno: Yeah, you're welcome.
Mr. Wilshaw: This guy knows everything about trash.
Ms. Rogers: I guess. Mr. Bongero.
March 24, 2026
32325
Mr. Bongero:
Ms. Rogers:
Mr. Bongero:
Ms. Rogers:
Mr. Bongero:
Ms. Rogers:
Mr. Wilshaw:
There's two large dumpsters in the back parking lot. I'm sure
that's what Jerome is seeing. They're like stacked on each other.
They're huge, yellow dumpsters.
One is cardboard and one is garbage, I think, which is full of
vacuums.
He wanted to see those behind an enclosure by who's ever they
are, but that was a great point that Sam brought up. You could
just take yours to the street, but he's still gonna do some with that
enclosure now that's been found and seen.
Right.
Now they're gonna want it.
They are gonna be mad at me, I'm kidding.
Thank you. All right, thank you. Mr. Bongero. Any other
questions? Comments? All right, I think we've addressed
everything we can at this point. If there's nothing else, I'm going
to close the public hearing, and a motion would be in order.
On a motion by Dinaro, seconded by Bongero, and unanimously adopted, it was
#03-17-2026
RESOLVED, That pursuant to a Public Hearing having been held
by the City Planning Commission on March 24, 2026, on Petition
2026-02-02-09 submitted by C3 Michigan, LLC on behalf of The
Axe Parlor requesting waiver use approval under Sections 3.11
and 6.22 of the Livonia Zoning Ordinance, as amended, to
operate a Class C liquor license (sale of beer, wine and spirits for
consumption on the premises) at 15970 Middlebelt Road, located
on the east side of Middlebelt Road between Sunnydale Street
and Terrence Avenue in the southwest 1/4 of Section 13, the
Planning Commission does hereby recommend to the City
Council that Petition 2026-02-02-09 be approved subject to the
following conditions:
1. City Council waiving the 1,000-foot separation requirement
between this location and the nearby Class C license
establishment pursuant to Section 6.09(2)(A).
2. That this location shall be in compliance with the Michigan
Liquor Control Act, and
March 24, 2026
32326
3. That the parking lot shall be repaired, resealed, and
restriped as necessary to the satisfaction of the Inspection
Department. Parking spaces shall be doubled striped at ten
feet (10') wide by twenty feet (20') in length.
That the three walls of the trash dumpster area shall be
constructed out of building materials that shall complement
that of the building. The enclosure gates shall be of solid
panel steel construction or durable, long-lasting solid panel
fiberglass. The trash dumpster area shall be maintained
and when not in use closed at all times.
5. This waiver use for this license is granted to this petitioner
only, and any new user of this license is required to seek
and receive City Council's consent prior to the transfer.
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. 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 #4 PETITION 2026-03-02-10 Wade Shows
Mr. Caramagno, Secretary, announced the first item on the agenda Petition 2026-
03-02-10 submitted by Wade Shows, Inc. requesting waiver use
approval under Sections 3.11 and 6.56 of the Livonia Zoning
Ordinance, as amended, to conduct a carnival in the parking lot
of the former Sears department store, sponsored by the Livonia
AM Rotary Club, consisting of amusement rides, games, and food
concessions from May 18, 2026, through June 1, 2026, on the
property at 29500 Seven Mile Road, located at the northwest
corner of Seven Mile and Middlebelt Roads in the southeast 1/4
of Section 2.
Mr. Uhazie:
This is a request to conduct the annual carnival in the parking lot
of the former Sears site. The location is in the northwest corner
of Seven Mile and Middle Belt. The current zoning is C-2. The
surrounding neighborhood is zoned C-2 to the west. To the north
is C-1 and C-2, as well as NM-1 at the Nottingham village condos.
East across Middle Belt is C-2 and C-1. To the south of Seven
Mile is Mid Seven Shopping Center zoned C-2, as well. Operation
Mr. Wilshaw:
Mr. Uhazie:
March 24, 2026
32327
of a carnival is allowed with waiver -use approval subject to
Section 6.56 of the zoning ordinance. Carnivals may be allowed
for periods not to exceed two weeks. The proposed carnival will
last 12 days from May 18 through June 1, 2026. The proposed
hours of operation are Monday through Friday, from 4pm to 11 pm
and weekends, Saturday and Sunday, from noon to 11pm. On
Monday, June 1, 2026, the carnival would be closed, broken
down and moved to its new location. This is a bit hard to see, but
this is the same layout as in previous years, with the carnival area
measuring approximately 660 feet east to west by 320 feet north
of south. The northern limit of the carnival would be the main drive
aisle that extends across Sears parking lot and provides access
from Middle Belt to Livonia Marketplace. The western boundary
is the Sears property line adjacent to the Livonia Marketplace.
Overall, the operation would consist of two main components.
The west component, labeled RV parking, would be a temporary
housing storage of other trucks and equipment associated with
the carnival, and the east component would be labeled carnival
midway. The midway area would be contain the rides in the
midway. So, as I mentioned, this would be the same layout as
years past. With that, Mr. Chairman, I can read out the
departmental correspondence.
Yes, please.
The first item is from the Engineering Division, dated March 5,
2026, which reads as follows: "In accordance with your request,
the Engineering Division has reviewed the above referenced
waiver use approval request. The address of #29500 Seven Mile
Road is correct for the subject parcel, and should be used in
connection with this petition. We have no objections to the
proposed petition, although the following items should be noted:
1. Should the carnival have the need to occupy, or should any of
the associated activities impact either of the Seven Mile Road or
Middlebelt Road right-of-way's, a permit from Wayne County will
be required as both roads are under their jurisdiction. 2. All
sanitary sewage from the site, recreational vehicles or campers
shall be disposed of properly. 3. Should the operators need to
have water provided for their facilities, they should contact the
City of Livonia Water Department to obtain the proper equipment,
including a water meter with backflow preventer." The letter is
signed by David W. Lear, P.E., Assistant City Engineer. The next
letter is from the Division of Police, dated March 6, 2026, which
reads as follows: "1 have reviewed the plans in connection with
the petition. 1 have no objections to the proposal." The letter is
signed by Brendan Adams, Sergeant, Traffic Bureau. The next
March 24, 2026
32328
letter is from the Finance Department, dated February 13, 2026,
which reads as follows: " / have reviewed the addresses
connected with the above noted petition. The following amounts
are due to the City of Livonia: Unpaid false alarm charges: Total
Due City of Livonia $2,818.72."The letter is signed by Benjamin
Grier, Director of Finance. That is the extent of the
correspondence.
Mr. Wilshaw: Any questions for staff?
Mr. Bongero: That $2,800 that's Sears, right?
Mr. Uhazie: Correct.
Mr. Bongero: How many years is that?
Mr. Uhazie: You know, I don't believe we've had that in the past, so I think this
is the first year.
Mr. Bongero: Yeah, I don't remember seeing that. Thank you.
Mr. Wilshaw: Thank you. I suspect those aren't false alarms either from what I
hear.
Mr. Uhazie:
Mr. Wilshaw:
One note in the invoice that they sent...so, the new due date for
their invoice is April 6. 2026 so although it is past the original due
date, they still have until April 6 to pay this amount per the
Finance Department.
Thanks. Okay, any other questions, comments for staff? If not,
our petitioner is in the audience. Feel free to come forward and
tell us about your carnival.
Joanna Hardesty, Wade Shows, PO Box 5173, Livonia, MI. Good to be back.
Hello.
Patrick Zucak, 30855 Rayburn Street, Livonia, MI. I represent Livonia AM Rotary.
Mr. Wilshaw:
Well, thank you both for being here tonight. This is something that
we see on a fairly regular basis, I would say, annually. What
would you like to tell us about it?
Ms. Hardesty: No changes. The same exact thing that we've done for the last
10 or 11 years. We haven't made any changes at all.
Mr. Wilshaw:
Mr. Zucal:
March 24, 2026
32329
Okay, very good. Is there any questions for our petitioner? I don't
see any questions again. Thank you for coming tonight. I know
there was some concern getting to the study meeting last week,
so I appreciate that. We're glad that you're here. Is there anyone
in the audience wishing to speak on this item? I don't see anyone
getting up to speak on this item. Is there anything else you'd like
to tell us before we make our decision?
Ten or 11 years doing this. This is our best fundraiser, and we're
fortunate. Sears still, they don't know what to do, so we keep it
going one year at a time, and we thank you for your approval on
it.
Mr. Wilshaw: We appreciate that. Thank you. If there's no other comments or
questions.
Mr. Caramagno: Have you been searching for other locations in the event
something changes here?
Mr. Zucal: We have been.
Mr. Caramagno: Okay. So, you're doing some proactive work, just in the event that
something down the road comes here.
Mr. Zucal: The last few years. Yes.
Mr. Caramagno: Okay, good.
Mr. Zucal: This location is just perfect, though.
Mr. Caramagno: Yeah. Can't live like this forever, but it's good. It's good for the
time being, and you're looking for something different for you to
continue. I think that's a good thing. Yeah, enjoy it while it lasts.
Mr. Wilshaw: Very good. All right. If there's no other questions or comments, I
don't see anything, I will close the public hearing and a motion is
in order.
On a motion by Long, seconded by Droze, and unanimously adopted, it was
#03-18-2026
RESOLVED, That pursuant to a Public Hearing having been held
by the City Planning Commission on March 24, 2026 on Petition
2026-03-02-10 submitted by Wade Shows, Inc. requesting waiver
use approval under Sections 3.11 and 6.56 of the Livonia Zoning
Ordinance, as amended, to conduct a carnival in the parking lot
of the former Sears department store, sponsored by the Livonia
March 24, 2026
32330
AM Rotary Club, consisting of amusement rides, games, and food
concessions from May 18, 2026, through June 1, 2026, on the
property at 29500 Seven Mile Road, located at the northwest
corner of Seven Mile and Middlebelt Roads in the southeast 1/4
of Section 2, be approved subject to the following conditions:
1. The carnival shall be limited from May 18, 2026, through
June 01, 2026.
2. The carnival shall be confined to the areas illustrated on the
plan received by the Planning Commission.
3. All rides, food concessions, booths, and other equipment
and apparatus relating to the carnival operation shall be at
least sixty feet (60') from the rights -of -way of Seven Mile and
Middlebelt Roads.
4. The temporary housing and storage of trucks and equipment
associated with the carnival shall be in the property's
southwest corner, as shown on the plan, no closer than sixty
feet (60') from the right-of-way of Seven Mile Road.
5. The hours of operation shall be limited to Monday through
Friday from 4:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., and on Saturday and
Sunday, from 12:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., and
6. Permits and inspections are required. Wade Shows shall
request a pre -event meeting with the Director of Inspection,
Fire Marshal, and Emergency Preparedness.
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. Wilshaw: Is there any discussion?
Mr. Wilshaw, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution
adopted. It will go onto City Council with an approving resolution.
ITEM #5 PETITION 2026-12-08-10 Gas Station
Mr. Caramagno, Secretary, announced the first item on the agenda Petition 2025-
12-08-10 submitted by Charlie Bazzi on behalf of 36300 5 Mile
Investment, LLC requesting site plan approval under Section
13.13 of the Livonia Zoning Ordinance, as amended, to demolish
the existing gas station and fuel pumps at 36300 Five Mile Road,
Mr. Wilshaw:
On a motion
#03-19-2026
Mr. Uhazie:
Mr. Wilshaw:
Mr. Uhazie:
Mr. Wilshaw:
March 24, 2026
32331
and construct a new gas station convenience store and fuel
pumps, located the northeast corner of Levan Road and Five Mile
Road in the Southeast'% of Section 17.
So, this was tabled at a previous meeting. Is there someone
willing to offer a motion to remove this from the table?
by Caramango, seconded by Bongero, and unanimously adopted, it
was
RESOLVED, that the City Planning Commission on March 24,
2026, on Petition 2025-12-08-10 submitted by Charlie Bazzi on
behalf of 36300 5 Mile Investment, LLC requesting site plan
approval under Section 13.13 of the Livonia Zoning Ordinance,
as amended, to demolish the existing gas station and fuel pumps
at 36300 Five Mile Road, and construct a new gas station
convenience store and fuel pumps, located the northeast corner
of Levan Road and Five Mile Road in the Southeast Y4 of Section
17., does hereby remove the item from the table.
As you mentioned, we have seen this before. This is a request to
demolish and rebuild the existing fuel pumps. The site 0.45 acres
in size and is zoned C-2. The changes since the last time we saw
it include an updated tanker plan. The plan now shows access
coming off Five Mile or Levan going north to refill and then exiting
back out the northern access to Levan Road. The access points
remain the same, with the caveat that they have been reduced in
size and meet the Wayne County requirements. The lighting plan
has been submitted that does comply with all zoning ordinance
requirements. Additionally, the landscaping buffer has been put
in place to the east between that and the adjoining property. And
lastly, we did receive updated renderings this evening that show
more accurately what the petitioner is proposing for the fagade. I
will let him speak to that in a little more detail, because we did just
receive these prior to the meeting. That is all the changes since
we tabled this item with that. I also have some correspondence I
can read.
You have some updated correspondence?
We do not.
It is all original? They are all already read. Okay, they're already
read in so we are good to go. Thank you. Mr. Uhazie. Any
questions for staff? I see no questions. Mr. Bazzi, I believe you
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32332
are in the audience. Feel free to come forward. Good evening,
sir.
Michael Beydoun, on behalf of Mr. Bazzi.
Mr. Wilshaw: Very good. What would you like to tell us about these updates?
Mr. Beydoun:
Okay, since the last meeting, I think I did submit some floor plans
or something like that. That changes the character of the building.
That makes it like ins and out. As you can see in the elevation,
it's completely different than our previous meeting right here in
front of you. Forget about that rendering. We did actually have a
new render right now. We will be putting like, mixing up the colors,
like a white stone on the bottom, minimizing the dark gray or the
charcoal gray, and adding up more ACM materials, basically on
the top. It gives it more character, and it gives it some kind of a
new look. And as you know that the station right now, ifs a
dilapidated station. Honestly, it does look like a junkyard with a
mechanic shop in there, and that would be completely cleaned
up, and we're trying to beautify that area.
Mr. Wilshaw: All right, thank you. Mr. Beydoun. Is there any questions for the
petitioners representatives?
Mr. Droze:
Thank you. I appreciate the effort you guys put in the rendering. I
think that was one of the things we talked about the study
session. Is the top....
Mr. Beydoun: Almost like a red. That's not going to be there. When you send it
to someone else, they cannot actually pick up on exactly what
you want. They start improvising something like that. That is not
going to be there because the way it shows, it's going to be
lighting, it's not going to be.
Mr. Droze: Okay, yeah, that's kind of what I was getting at. So, what's your
plan for the oping of the top of that building.
Mr. Beydoun: Literally straight cut.
Mr. Droze: Okay, yeah, okay.
Mr. Beydoun: Less is better.
Mr. Droze: My only other question was, there's two EV chargers on the north
side. What do those typically look like? Do they need space?
Because I'm just kind of seeing you have them almost sitting
Mr. Beydoun:
Mr. Droze:
Mr Beydoun:
Mr. Droze:
Mr. Wilshaw:
Mr. Long:
Mr. Beydoun:
Mr. Wilshaw:
Mr. Beydoun:
Mr. Wilshaw:
Mr. Beydoun:
Mr. Wilshaw:
March 24, 2026
32333
within the parking spaces themselves. Are they going to be off to
the side? Are they on the property line?
A little bit away from the property line on the inside. And they're
making them not that huge right now. So, it's like...what do you
call that? It's like an air pump, something like that. So it's not even
bigger than that.
Okay, because you're gonna have the air machine there too. So
okay, it's a tight site, but it looks like it's gonna work. So really
appreciate your effort.
It's a common thing that everyone actually is going with them, so
they have to go with the flow.
I'm good. Thank you. Mr. Chair.
Alright. Thank you. Mr. Droze, any other questions for the
petitioner?
Just a comment, kudos. This is so much better than what we
originally had. Very pleased with this.
Now I know exactly what you want.
Thank you. Mr. Long. Any other questions or comments? Mr.
Beydoun, the rooftop mechanicals. How are those going to be
handled? Or are there going to be rooftop mechanicals?
There is, and actually, that will be hidden, because we did actually
raise the roof up. And if you go back actually, to the elevation, the
heights of the building, like maybe starts at top of the joist will
probably be at 14 feet. This is some places at 16, some places at
18. It's not even higher than that, especially with that middle
section. That's the old elevation too.
Okay, so your parapet is high enough to block correct the view of
those.
We'll go ahead and we'll shield them around with some kind of an
ACM, and we'll put up...we'II improvise. Also get the area and
maybe put some circles in them. We'll do that.
Okay, all right, I think that's a question I asked you on the other
one that you came to us. So, I just wanted to be consistent in that.
Is there any other questions or comments from the rest of the
March 24, 2026
32334
gang here? Nope. Anything else? Anybody would like to offer, if
not, this is not a public hearing, so a motion is in order
On a motion by Dinaro, seconded by Bongero, and unanimously adopted, it was
#03-20-2026
RESOLVED, That the City Planning Commission does hereby
recommend to the City Council that Petition 2025-12-08-10
submitted by Charlie Bazzi on behalf of 36300 5 Mile Investment,
LLC requesting site plan approval under Section 13.13 of the
Livonia Zoning Ordinance, as amended, to demolish the existing
gas station and fuel pumps at 36300 Five Mile Road, and
construct a new gas station convenience store and fuel pumps,
located the northeast corner of Levan Road and Five Mile Road
in the Southeast ' of Section 17, be approved subject to the
following conditions:
1. That the Demolition Plan identified as Sheet AS100
prepared by A&M Consultants, submitted January 03, 2026,
is hereby approved and shall be adhered to;
2. That the Site Plan identified as Sheet AS101 prepared by
A&M Consultants, submitted January 27, 2026, is hereby
approved and shall be adhered to;
3. That the Canopy Plan identified as Sheet AS1012 prepared
by A&M Consultants, submitted January 27, 2026, is hereby
approved and shall be adhered to;
4. That the Landscaping Plan identified as Sheet LS100
prepared by A&M Consultants, submitted January 27, 2026,
is hereby approved and shall be adhered to;
5. That the Elevation Plan be updated to reflect the renderings
received March 24, 2026, which are hereby approved and
shall be adhered to;
6. That the gas pump island canopy shall not exceed eighteen
feet (18') in height and its support columns shall be covered
with the same brick used in the construction of the building;
7. That all light fixtures shall not exceed twenty feet (20') in
height and shall be aimed and shielded so as to minimize
stray light trespassing across property lines and glaring into
adjacent roadway;
March 24, 2026
32335
8. That free air shall be provided at all times this station is open
for business. The free air shall be dispensed at the point of
service without having to enter the station or the
performance of any extra action in order to obtain the air
without charge;
9. 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.
10. 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;
11. This approval is valid for a period of ONE 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.
Mr. Wilshaw: Is there any discussion?
Mr. Wilshaw, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution
adopted. It will go onto City Council with an approving resolution.
ITEM #6 Petition 2026-01-07-01 Master Plan Update
Mr. Caramagno, Secretary, announced the first item on the agenda Petition 2026-
01-07-01 by the City Planning Commission, requesting
authorization by the Livonia City Council to distribute proposed
amendments to the Livonia Vision 21 Master Plan, including the
addition of Book 5, Housing Sustainability, for public review and
comment, and to hold a public hearing to consider adoption of the
proposed amendments pursuant to P.A. 33 of 2008, as amended,
the Michigan Planning Enabling Act.
Mr. Wilshaw: Is someone willing to make a motion to remove this from the
table?
On a motion by Bongero, seconded by Droze, and unanimously adopted, it was
#03-21-2026
RESOLVED, that the City Planning commission on March 24,
2020, on Petition 2026-01-07-01 by the City Planning
Commission, requesting authorization by the Livonia City Council
to distribute proposed amendments to the Livonia Vision 21
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32336
Master Plan, including the addition of Book 5, Housing
Sustainability, as well as several changes to the Future Land Use
Map, for public review and comment, and to hold a public hearing
to consider adoption of the proposed amendments pursuant to
P.A. 33 of 2008, as amended, the Michigan Planning Enabling
Act., does hereby remove the item from the table.
Mr. Uhazie. Thank you. As we discussed at the study, the planning
department is recommending splitting the future land use
amendments with the housing update and master plan
amendments, because this is a grant funded process, and we do
not want to slow down that project in conjunction with the future
land use which we will return to at a point in the future. Some of
the changes that we've seen since our last meeting include
adding a Livonia Vision 21 progress report from the priority
projects identified in the original master plan, adding details on
housing achievements that the city has put forward, as well as
adding some additional priority projects, addressing some of the
challenges and updating the implementation matrix. But I will let
McKenna go into more detail of the changes that they proposed
and get their feedback.
Donovan Smith, McKenna Associates. Good evening. Thank you. So, I did want
to follow up to our last conversation. We did hear a lot of the
comments we received from the Commission, and we worked
with staff, and I think we did make some pretty good changes that
provide a more rounded out tone and approach to why we're
doing this amendment, what came out of the findings and things
that you can actually start to move forward over the next 10, 15,
20, years. So, if I could entertain you for a little bit. I know it's late,
but I just want to highlight a few things. In November of 2019, the
governor signed a house bill that effectively changed the master
plan and comprehensive planning process, where it now requires
that housing is a formal component of master plans. So, if you
kind of underline that's the real premise on why we're even
coming to you with a recommendation for an amendment is one.
It's just a part of the plan and planning process now. So instead
of waiting five years, you can kind of get it into your process
sooner than later. So, we did make note of that into the plan. To
give context, as Mr. Uhazie mentioned, we did include aspects as
it relates to projects and things that were completed in your
previous version of the master plan. So, it doesn't seem like this
is a standalone document. It is a part of your plan as a whole. So
we did provide an update on where that plan is and how it
correlates to some of the things going on in this plan. Previously
I mentioned and there was a response on how we approach the
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32337
goals and the implementation plan. I mentioned before that your
implementation plan was revised to include roughly, I think that
number is around 24 or so various action items and things, and
the response was that might be too much. How do you focus
when you have all these things? So with the steering committee,
one of the things we did early in the process is, you have two
goals today, two goals. I just want to specify goals and actions.
You have two goals today in your existing Livonia 21 plan, and
those are Urban Design and Housing and Neighborhoods. With
your steering committee, we revised some of those goals and
action items. Those are existing in your current plan. We added
one goal. We added Housing and Sustainability, and then we
added various aspects of how to address some of the items
identified in the plan into that goal as well. So, in your previous
version, you had a lot more goals. You had six, and those six
essentially replaced these three. Based on our conversations, we
thought it was better to keep those three and then revise how we
approach the six that we added. The six that we added came from
the statewide housing plan, and instead of elevating those to
goals in your plan, what this plan does now is it says these are
Livonia's goals and objectives, and then it says the state has this
huge list of goals and objectives. Where do they align? So now
you're not jumping and just doing what the state says. This plan
says we've said what we want to do, but we also know where we
align with the state. So now your housing strategy and the state's
housing strategy at least, are speaking the same language. We're
not overreaching and doing things that the state is saying we are.
And I just want to underscore this, because I think it's important,
now that it's in here, we are doing what Livonia wants, as it is also
in line with the state. So, when you look at the community housing
goals, you'll see Urban Design, Housing and Neighborhoods and
Housing Sustainability is the third goal we added. We included
the Housing and Development achievements for context. And
then we also added community housing projects. There are three
priority projects, and those are to develop mechanisms to track
economic and housing metrics, and then it breaks those metrics
down. Two is to create a city-wide inventory for under-utilized
sites suitable for redevelopment. And then the third is to improve
development efficiency by monitoring and reporting the average
time from application to approval. Those are good projects. And
then the question after becomes, in what context do we look at
these projects? The plan goes into a lot of detail about the data
and how you can support those but I do want to highlight, if you
do have copies, this is page four, and this is the sustainable
housing policy challenges and opportunities. The plan itself is
kind of wrapped around these challenges and opportunities. As
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32338
far as data, how we got here, and some of the things you can do
to address some of these. So first, I want to start with the change,
or the decline in population, and where SEMCOG projects
housing for Livonia to be in 25 years. That is an increase of about
1,400 units. So in the context of population decline, SEMCOG
believes that there is going to be an increase in not only
population but also housing units. So that is reflected in at least
what your opportunities are. Furthermore, throughout the plan,
we've identified decreasing family sizes, affordability challenges
when it comes to the polar ends of your housing system in
Livonia. The high end, your market rate housing is in under
supply. Your multi -family units for large families are in under
supply, and then you have a small under supply in homes valued
under 150,000 which is a challenge everywhere. It's very difficult
to find a house anywhere for $150,000 so we didn't build the plan
around filling that gap, but we did build the plan around your
shortage of market rate single family housing. That is one of those
areas where Livonia has an opportunity to address the shortage
of those types of uses by constructing new single family housing
developments where appropriate. In addition to market rate multi-
family units that cater larger families, what we found in your data
is that the families that are larger don't have apartments for that
that size. So that's three bedrooms four -bedroom units. You have
a very good mix of one and two bedrooms. But the larger scale
units, larger families have challenges identifying units for those.
So those are your polar ends and how you can address those
1,400 units. The exact makeup, whether it's 50/50, 70/30, 30/20,
can vary. But the goal, at least from SEMCOG perspective and
to address the changes in population, are about 1,400 units. And
then the data, when you get into various aspects, it will tell you
which types of homes are more appropriate. I also want to make
a note, and I brought this up before we did identify that by 2050
the majority of your existing income based housing units are
expected to expire, so one of the objectives is to make sure you
try to preserve those units, because once the requirement for
them to maintain income based expires, those owners or
developers can flip them to market units, which is something that
we've seen around the state, and when that happens, those
affordability requirements are gone, and then it's a lot more
difficult to support those residents that would be moved from that
form of housing. Lastly, at least I want to point out in this table, by
2050, I brought this up in your last meeting, majority of the homes
in Livonia will be approaching 100 years old. As homes get older,
they require more maintenance and increased costs. So a part of
the strategy on how we address that is to either repair, replace or
produce programming that supports maintaining and managing
March 24, 2026
32339
these aging homes. But ultimately, there will be a point where you
may have to replace some of these homes if they become too
expensive to maintain in the long run, but that is a 25 year away
thing to be thinking about. Lastly, on goals for community. So this
is in the back of your document, the biggest difference between
this version and your last version is you now have three goals
instead of the eight or so that came from the state. Those three
now have refined objectives, and those are tabled out around
page 39, and 40 and then your implementation plan takes those
goals and objectives, and then it projects them out over a period
of time. And then the last piece I want to say is included in this
plan, which is the very last page of the document. It says, these
are your 19 objectives based on your three goals. These 19
objectives align with the state in this manner. So what that page
allows you to do is to say, these are your goals. What is the state's
recommendations, or what are the state strategies on how to
address these? And then it kind of points you into seeing how that
correlates to each other. And then, in closing, your goals and
objectives, your implementation plan now correlates to seven of
the eight priorities. And then there are, I believe, 34 overall action
items within that plan. Your goals align with 19 of them. So just
for context, so the kind of overarching objective of the strategy is,
in part, you're able to look at the state's plan, see what the state
strategies are, and then you can start to adopt or modify some of
those strategies as it fits the city of Livonia. So with that, I that's
all I have to share with you. I do think this is a much better plan. I
think revising the goals and the implementation plan really spoke
to some of the things we heard in the steering committee and the
engagement and from you all as well. And we do like this version
a lot, lot more than the last one.
Mr. Wilshaw: Alright. Thank you, Mr. Smith. I appreciate that update on this
revised document that we have before us. And mind you, as we
discuss this, this is still a draft that is going to...that we're basically
trying to get started, get the process rolling, to get this to City
Council, and then they will have to publish it for public comments.
And there's a whole string of things that are going to happen.
We're not looking to necessarily approve this document in its
current form. It will change as time goes on, I'm sure, and we
receive those comments and input from other people. So again, I
just want to level set that expectation. Is there any discussion on
what we have before us tonight?
Mr. Droze:
Mr. Smith, just a brief comment. I know we've talked about in this
forum a couple times. You know, I think what some of the
concerns were with the prior form of this, and I do want to
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32340
Mr. Smith:
Mr. Wilshaw:
Ms. Dinaro:
Mr. Wilshaw:
commend you for what you've done to kind of streamline this and
come up with some more defined actions and goals for where we
want to go with this. Understand, this is a draft, and I think it
invokes some good discussions around the community and
recognizing that things change over time. It's been, you know,
several years since the original Vision 21 was put together, and
things have changed. So I'm hopeful that this will help prompt
some of those discussions. I'm really interested in this city-wide
inventory of utilized, underutilized spaces, because I think that's
a big opportunity for the city. And, you know, I'm interested to
explore what that looks like, not just in the spots we're thinking
normally about, you know, maybe the underutilized commercial
spaces, but maybe even some of our industrial spaces that are
kind of on their last legs, or even some of our larger commercial
office spaces. So, I appreciate that effort on that and then
isolating those goals into kind of the three main groupings is
helpful too. So, I'm thinking beyond that, but just wanted to
express my appreciation for your effort and cleaning it up. Thank
you.
And if I may, through the Chair, a couple things. I want to add
what we attempted to do, and I think we got there, is we didn't
want this to be a low-income plan, you know. We understood the
pride of Livonia and the character that exists. So our intention
was not to produce a plan that says, you know, fix all the low
income, bring all low in, we really tried to enhance what was
currently existing and preserve what was existing, whether that is
addressing market, whether that's addressing portions of low
income, but ultimately the goal is to make sure Livonia is
affordable, and affordability is a sliding scale, so I think we were
able to include that. So, thank you.
Thank you. Any other comments, questions?
I also just have a quick comment. I just want to reiterate that this
is going to City Council so that it can get community engagement
and comment. And we want to encourage community. We want
people to see this. We want people to comment on this, and we
want feedback on this, and this is really the first step of that
community outreach and community engagement for this
process.
Well, thank you. Ms. Dinaro, I appreciate that. I mean, we had a
public hearing on this a few weeks ago, and there was a lot of
engagement and comments that we received right then and
there, some of which I think were actually helpful in modifying this
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32341
document to where it stands now. But this is still, as you said, this
is the beginning of a longer process to get even more of that
community input. We definitely want that so, thank you. Anyone
else have any thoughts?
Mr. Caramagno: This is continuing to evolve into a better a better package, for
sure. From the beginning, it was way off base, as far as I was
concerned. I still have questions about the increased housing
needs on the SEMCOG report, I've seen some numbers that
show we have 39,000 residential properties, or residential
housing units in Livonia. I still think that number is way off, and
I've got my reasons for thinking that, so I don't know if you ever
looked at that closely or closely enough, because I understood
that meant all residential properties, single families, apartments,
condominium units. I think that number is off. So we're targeting
to hit 40,000 or 41,000 homes. We're damn near there already.
Already without these 1,400 that we say we're going to need. My
question, maybe you can answer it. The SEMCOG report,
where...what's driving these needs? We've talked about this
before here that the baby boomer population is going to leave.
There's not anything backing that up. Where are these people
going to come from? Are they coming from California? Do you
know that answer?
Mr. Donovan: In part. SEMCOG uses a migration model. So, they have data
that kind of determines changes, projected changes in
population. So based on the projected change in population, if
you take that number and then you look at the household size,
which I think in Livonia, is 2.2 ish, the exact number is, I'm sorry,
and when you look at the projected change in population based
on migration data, and then you divide that number by the
household size, that tells you roughly about how many housing
units you need to accommodate that change in population. It
doesn't get into the detail of how you do that, or exactly what
types of units those are, but it's based on projected changes in
population. And then you do the math, and it'll tell you about how
many units that is based on family size.
Mr. Caramagno: I'm interested in how accurate that is in the long term, because I
don't see it. So that's that. And then the thing you mentioned a
little while ago, lower income housing. There's a big question
about lower income housing and what that is, in my mind, If the
elderly have to downsize because they're retiring, and they don't
need big homes any longer, and they need a lower, smaller
home, smaller place to stay. That's one thing. If we're catering to
folks that are going to come to town because they don't want to
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32342
Mr. Smith:
Mr. Wilshaw:
Mr. Smith:
work or can't find good income. I hate to see Livonia decline in
any way at all. So glad to hear you say that that's not the focus of
this. That's big to me. I didn't here that before. I'm hearing it now,
Thanks. So, that's huge to me. So I can say that. Thank you.
It was made very clear.
Thank you. Is there any other comments, questions? I do have to
agree with you. Mr. Caramagno, I have my own questions about
SEMCOG data, and maybe, Mr. Smith, you have a better feeling
for how accurate SEMCOG is and because there's basically two
predictions that they're making in here. They're forecasting
population for the future up to 2050, and what's said in the
document at various points is basically that our population has
been fairly flat and will stay fairly flat. But then they also state in
the document that they're predicting growth in population in the
city of about 2,000 people by the year 2050, which is not a lot in
the whole scheme of things, but based on that, they also are
calculating or predicting that there will be a growth or need for an
additional 1,400 homes. So I want to make sure, basically, let me
know, if you can, how accurate has SEMCOG been in their past
predictions based on what you've experienced, and you know,
kind of what's their track record and then, of course, as we go
forward with this, you know, I just want to make sure that we are
not working with erroneous data or data that we can't trust?
Yes, so up until the current year in SEMCOG's report, that data
is sourced from US Census and American Community Service
data. So, you know, all the data, at least up until your current year,
is based on national census data. So, that tends to be pretty
accurate, less the gaps during COVID. When it comes to
forecasting, that's always a bit of a model and just math.
Generally, I have not experienced or heard of a lot of cases where
people are combating SEMCOG's data. Most people tend to
agree that their data is generally accurate, at least in terms of, as
Commissioner Caramagno mentioned, the existing data is based
on census data. So we tend to believe that is pretty accurate.
Forecast can always, you know, deviate just based on things
changing, and the further out you forecast, the more deviation
exists. So, we do not interpret that 14 as a hard number, but more
of a target based on the landscape of migration and housing and
all the things going on that contribute to not only Livonia data, but
Michigan's data as a whole. And then, as you progress through
the years, every five years, when you update this plan, you'll see
that number may go up a little bit, may go down a little bit, and as
you get closer to 2050 you'll start to zero in on it.
Mr. Wilshaw:
Mr. Smith:
Mr. Wilshaw:
March 24, 2026
32343
Okay, good. The reason I say that is because I'm cognizant of the
fact, that if we are... say we use this document and we say, okay,
there's a demand for 1,400 new housing units in this community,
by the year 2050, and we start approving and the city is allowing
a lot more housing units to be put in, maybe high density housing,
mid density housing, whatever it is, to accomplish that number,
because we have a report in front of us that says that's what we
need. And then it turns out that we don't get that population
growth that is forecast. We could end up in a situation where we
have an oversupply of housing, which hurts, of course, laws of
supply and demand, that will hurt the housing values of all the
rest of the homes in the community, because we now have vacant
properties sitting because we overbuilt. So that's the thing I want
to make sure we avoid. We want to preserve, you know, the value
of the properties that are currently in our city as well.
And if I may, Chair, there are kind of two aspects to that approach.
There is forecasted demand based on new population, and then
you have what you'll find in the affordability section of the master
plan, where you not only have a demand for new housing as your
population changes, but you also have a demand for market rate
units, apartment market rate housing for your existing residents
that are either spending more and housing situations where they
could afford more, or they are under spending and they could also
go up. So there's new residents, and then you also have what we
call best fitting housing to your existing residents, and both take
place at a time. And also, as you update this plan year over year,
you'll get more accurate with your target.
Okay. The reason I bring that subject matter up is because, you
know, we've seen a change in the history of this city over the past,
I would say, decade or so where there wasn't a lot. We'II talk
about high density housing, for example, apartments and so on.
We haven't had many of those in the city in the past. All of a
sudden, in the more recent years, due to inflation and a lot of
reasons, there was a huge push toward high -density apartment
type living in the city, and apparently a huge demand for that. And
then it just fell off a cliff, and we now have several projects that
have been approved that haven't even been developed yet,
because apparently there's just not enough demand for them. So
that's why those people aren't building them, or they don't have
the funds, who knows, but I see that happening in the community,
and of course, so I just want to make sure that we're cognizant of
that, and we're watching that, and we're making sure that we don't
March 24, 2026
32344
Mr. Smith:
Mr. Wilshaw:
Mr. Droze:
Mr. Wilshaw:
over build when we don't need to. So just my thoughts that I
wanted to share.
If I may, Chair, I think to your point, the priority project to track
housing metrics will support that effort. You know, because those
do change over time.
Okay, all right, great. Well, thank you. If there's any other
comments or questions, if there's not any other comments,
questions from my colleagues, I don't hear any.
Mr Chair. The only thing I think I could say is on the numbers and
what the projections are, I mean, we're not alone in Livonia that
the SEMCOG projections may not be what we want, maybe they
are what we want. And I think that's where, you know, I think there
was some engagement that was done as part of this, and I'm
hopeful that people look at this in context to just overall
development across the city, and kind of say, you know, what
opportunities are there, and to, you know, maybe set those
visions out. We don't have to wait 30 years for some of these
things. What I liked about that inventory of under-utilized sites is
those are going to identify opportunities and get conversations
going now, because, to your point, Mr. Chair, things do move
quickly. And a lot of times, all of a sudden, there's a big push for
a bunch of multifamily type developments, and it's related to all
sorts of market forces. And if you're not on the front end of that,
sometimes that's passed by the time it gets to you. And I think
Livonia has done really well in moving through things relatively
quickly from a development process versus some of the other
surrounding cities. So, I think we should, you know, leverage that
and use that conversation to identify where opportunities are
around our city, just so it's not, not new to us when they start
coming in. So, thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Droze. There'll be a lot of conversations, I think to
be had as we move forward with this. Is there any other
comments or questions? If not, I believe we are looking to get a
motion to approve this so it can move on to the City Council and
get the process started to be published. Is that correct? Mr.
Uhazie?
Mr. Uhazie: Correct.
Mr. Wilshaw: Okay. Is someone willing to make that motion? I
March 24, 2026
32345
On a motion by Caramagno, seconded by Dinaro, and unanimously adopted, it
was
#03-22-2026
RESOLVED, That pursuant to a public meeting having been held
by the City Planning Commission on March 24, 2026, on Petition
2026-01-07-01 submitted by the Livonia Planning Commission,
the Planning Commission does hereby concur to forward the
proposed Master Plan (Livonia Vision 21) Amendment to the
Livonia City Council for review and comment, and thereafter
authorize distribution of the Plan for public comment pursuant to
MCL 125.3841 of P.A. 33 of 2008, as amended, commonly known
as the Michigan Planning Enabling Act.
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 #7 APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1,242nd Public Hearings and
Regular Meeting
Mr. Caramagno, Secretary, announced the next item on the agenda, Approval of
the Minutes of the 1,242nd Public Hearing and Regular Meeting
held on February 24, 2026.
On a motion by Caramagno, seconded by Long, and unanimously adopted, it was
#03-23-2026 RESOLVED, That the Minutes of 1,242nd Public Hearings and
Regular Meeting held by the Planning Commission on February
24, 2026, are hereby approved.
A roll call vote on the foregoing resolution resulted in the following:
AYES: Dinaro, Droze, Bongero, Long, Caramagno,
Wilshaw
NAYS: None
ABSENT: Ventura
ABSTAIN: None
Mr. Wilshaw, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution
adopted.
March 24, 2026
32346
On a motion duly made, seconded and unanimously adopted, the 1,243rd Public
Hearings and Regular Meeting held on March 24, 2026, was adjourned at 9:12
p.m.
Ian Wilshaw, Chairman
CITY PL '•' NING COMMISSION
Sam ramagno, Secretary