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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPLANNING MINUTES 1998-04-21 16012 MINUTES OF THE 762nd REGULAR MEETING HELD BY THE CITY PLANNING COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF LIVONIA On Tuesday, April 21, 1998, the City Planning Commission of the City of Livonia held its 762nd Regular Meeting in the Livonia City Hall, 33000 Civic Center Drive, Livonia, Michigan. Mr. James C. McCann, Chairman, called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. Members present: James McCann Daniel Piercecchi Elaine Koons William LaPine Michael Hale Robert Alanskas Members absent: None Messrs. John Nagy, Planning Director, Al Nowak, Planner IV and Scott Miller, Planner II, were also present. Mr. McCann informed the audience that if a petition on tonight's agenda involves a rezoning request, this Commission only makes a recommendation to the City Council who, in turn, will hold its own public hearing and decide the question. If a petition involves a waiver of use request and the request is denied, the petitioner has ten days in which to appeal the decision in writing to the City Council; otherwise the petition is terminated. The Planning Commission holds the only public hearing on a preliminary plat and/or a vacating petition. Planning Commission resolutions become effective seven days after the resolutions are adopted. The Planning Commission and staff has reviewed the petitions upon their filing and have been furnished by the staff with approving and denying resolutions. They may use them or not depending upon the outcome of the hearing tonight. Mr. McCann announced that the first item on the Agenda, Petition 97-12-1-22 by McLaren Engines, Inc. will not be heard tonight as they have sent us a letter requesting that their petition not be removed from the table as they are gathering new information. There will be no action nor discussion regarding this item tonight. Mr. Piercecchi, Secretary, announced that the next item on the agenda is a Motion to hold a Public Hearing, pursuant to Council Resolution #852-97, to determine whether or not to amend Subsections (b), (c), (d), (e) and (j) of Section 18.42A of Article XVIII of Ordinance #543, as amended, with respect to certain definitions and regulations pertaining to wireless communication facilities. Mr. Nagy: This will authorize the department to schedule this matter for a public hearing date at which time we will give notice and have an opportunity to discuss the matter at length. It simply sets the wheels in motion to do that. 16013 On a motion duly made by Mr. Koons, seconded by Mr. Hale and unanimously approved, it was #4-50-98 RESOLVED, that the City Planning Commission, pursuant to Council Resolution #852-97, and pursuant to Section 23.01(a) of Ordinance #543, the Zoning Ordinance of the City of Livonia, as amended, does hereby establish and order that a public hearing be held to determine whether or not to amend Subsections (b), (c), (d), (e) and (j) of Section 18.42A of Article XVIII of Ordinance #543, as amended, with respect to certain definitions and regulations pertaining to wireless communication facilities. FURTHER RESOLVED, that notice of such hearing be given as provided in Section 23.05 of Ordinance #543, the Zoning Ordinance of the City of Livonia, as amended, and that thereafter there shall be a report and recommendation submitted to the City Council. Mr. McCann, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution adopted. Mr. Piercecchi, Secretary, announced that the next item on the agenda is a Motion to hold a Public Hearing to amend the Future Land Use Map so as to change the designation of land for the proposed fire station site located on the northeast corner of Bicentennial Drive and Seven Mile Road in the SE 1/4 of Section 4 from "Recreation-Open Space"to "Community Service". 111111.00, Mr. Nagy: As with the last one, this will authorize the staff to go ahead and hold a public hearing amending the Future Land Use Map to bring it under compliance with our Future Fire Station Plan. As the Commission may recall, we made a switch in the sites, and we did correct the Future Fire Station Plan. Now we are correcting the Future Land Use Map to make it consistent with that plan. This will simply authorize us to hold that hearing. On a motion duly made by Mr. LaPine, seconded by Mr. Alanskas and unanimously approved, it was #4-51-98 RESOLVED, that the City Planning Commission, pursuant to Section 23.01(b) of Ordinance #543, the Zoning Ordinance of the City of Livonia, as amended, does hereby establish and order that a Public Hearing be held to determine whether or not to amend the Future Land Use Map so as to change the designation of land for the proposed fire station site located on the northeast corner of Bicentennial Drive and Seven Mile Road in the SE 1/4 of Section 4 from "Recreation-Open Space" to "Community Service". FURTHER RESOLVED, that notice of such hearing be given as provided in Section 23.05 of Ordinance #543, the Zoning Ordinance of the City of 16014 Livonia, as amended, and that thereafter there shall be a report and recommendation submitted to the City Council. Mr. McCann, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution adopted. Mr. Piercecchi, Secretary, announced that the next item on the agenda is a Motion to hold a Public Hearing pursuant to Council Resolution #875-97 requesting the Planning Commission to hold a public hearing to determine whether or not to amend Section 19.06(j) of the Livonia Zoning Ordinance to provide greater flexibility for a property owner to alter or replace plant material which blocks public view of commercial signs, interferes with public utility equipment or otherwise becomes a nuisance or hazard to public health. Mr. McCann: Again, this is just to hold a public hearing. The description tells exactly what the amendment will be. On a motion duly made by Mr. Alanskas, seconded by Mrs. Koons and unanimously adopted, it was #4-52-98 RESOLVED, that the City Planning Commission, pursuant to Council Resolution #875-97, and pursuant to Section 23.01(a) of Ordinance #543, the Zoning Ordinance of the City of Livonia, as amended, does hereby establish and order that a public hearing be held to determine whether or not to amend Section 19.06(j) of the Livonia Zoning Ordinance to provide greater flexibility for a property owner to alter or replace plant material which blocks public view of commercial signs, interferes with public utility equipment or otherwise becomes a nuisance or hazard to public health. FURTHER RESOLVED, that notice of such hearing be given as provided in Section 23.05 of Ordinance #543, the Zoning Ordinance of the City of Livonia, as amended, and that thereafter there shall be a report and recommendation submitted to the City Council. Mr. McCann, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution adopted. Mr. Piercecchi, Secretary, announced that the next item on the agenda is approval of the minutes of the 760th Regular Meeting held on March 10, 1998. On a motion duly made by Mr. LaPine, seconded by Mr. Alanskas and unanimously approved, it was #4-53-98 RESOLVED that, the minutes of the 762nd Regular Meeting held by the City Planning Commission on March 10, 1998 are hereby approved. 16015 A roll call vote on the foregoing resolution resulted in the following: AYES: Alanskas, LaPine, Piercechi, Hale, McCann NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: Koons Mr. McCann, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution adopted. Mr. Piercecchi, Secretary, announced that the next item on the agenda is approval of the minutes of the 761st Regular Meeting and Public Hearings held on March 24, 1998. On a motion by Mrs. Koons, seconded by Mr. Alanskas and unanimously approved, it was #4-54-98 RESOLVED, that the minutes of the 761st Regular Meeting and Public Hearings held on March 24, 1998 are hereby approved. A roll call vote on the foregoing resolution resulted in the following: AYES: Alanskas, LaPine, Piercecchi, Koons NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: Hale, McCann Mr. McCann, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution adopted. Mr. Piercecchi, Secretary, announced that the next item on the agenda is approval of the minutes of the 379th Special Meeting held on March 31, 1998. On a motion by Mr. Hale, seconded by Mrs. Koons and unanimously approved, it was #4-55-98 RESOLVED, that the minutes of the 379th Special Meeting held by the City Planning Commission on march 31, 1998 are hereby approved. A roll call vote on the foregoing resolution resulted in the following: AYES: LaPine, Hale, Koons, McCann NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: Alanskas, Piercecchi 16016 Mr. McCann, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution adopted. Mr. LaPine: I voted no on that item and the minutes do not reflect the reasons for that no vote. I think my reason for voting no should have been in the minutes. In the future I think we should put in the minutes why a person was against it. Mr. McCann: Since it was a Special Meeting, we didn't have Doris at the meeting to take minutes, and that was the difficulty. Mr. Piercecchi, Secretary, announced that the next item on the agenda is Petition 98-3-8-8 by Oakwood Health Services requesting approval of all plans required by Section 18.47 of the zoning ordinance in connection with a proposal to construct a medical office building on property located at 37760 Seven Mile Road in the Southeast 1/4 of Section 6. Mr. Miller: This site is located on the north side of Seven Mile Road between Newburgh and Victor Parkway. They are requesting to construct a three- story medical office building on the site. The new office building would be a total of 50,00 sq.ft. Access to the site would be from a drive off of Seven Mile Road and one off Victor Parkway. Required parking for the site is 300 spaces and they show 300 spaces, so they meet the parking requirement. They are required to have 15% of the total site for landscaping and they show 31%, so they exceed the landscaping requirement. The new building will be brick on all four sides, and the roof is a standing metal seam system. Mr. Nagy: The Traffic Bureau of the Police Department in their letter of April 14 indicates the Police Department has no objection to the site plan as submitted, however all handicap parking spaces must be posted with a handicap parking sign. That is signed by Officer John B. Gibbs. The Fire Marshal in his letter of April 2 indicates that they have no objection to this proposal contingent upon the following: 1) A fire hydrant shall be located no closer than 50 ft. from the building and no farther than 100 ft. from the Fire Department Connection. A second remote hydrant may be required- subject to review with the architect. 2) Fire lanes shall be established per City Ordinance and located per high-lighted areas of attached print. 3) Canopy overhang located at main patient entrance on the south side of the building shall be provided with minimum 10 ft. vertical clearance for emergency rescue vehicles. The Engineering Department in their letter of March 26 indicates they have the following concerns regarding the proposed construction: 1) The proposed approach layout onto Seven Mile Road will need to be approved by Wayne County since the right-of-way is under their jurisdiction. 2) This department would like to see the proposed deceleration lane on Seven Mile Road extended to meet the 16017 exiting deceleration lane to Victor Parkway. That was signed by David Lear, Civil Engineer. That is the extent of our correspondence. Mr. Piercecchi: John, is this a taxable structure? Mr. Nagy: I believe it is taxable in part. Mr. Piercecchi: It will contain not only clinical operation, but also offices. Mr. Nagy: The office area will be taxable, but not patient care. Mr. Piercecchi: Do we have any idea what the hours will be? Mr. Nagy: I don't, but the petitioner is here and can address that issue. Mr. LaPine: The roadway is 120' now and that is its maximum. When we had some discussion about the deceleration lane, the petitioner had a question about maybe causing more problems about going in there. Mr. Nagy: The Engineering Department pointed out that since the right-of-way on Seven Mile Road is under Wayne County jurisdiction, Wayne County will make the final decision on that. There was no one wishing to speak on this petition. Mr. McCann: For the record, we did meet at the Study Meeting and had many of the questions answered. On a motion duly made by Mr. Piercecchi, seconded by Mr. LaPine and unanimously approved, it was #4-56-98 RESOLVED, that the City Planning Commission does hereby recommend to the City Council that Petition 98-3-8-8 by Oakwood Health Services requesting approval of all plans required by Section 18.47 of the zoning ordinance in connection with a proposal to construct a medical office building on property located at 37760 Seven Mile Road in the Southeast 1/4 of Section 6 be approved subject to the following conditions: 1) That the Site Plan marked Sheet C-3 prepared by Marshall Erdman & Associates, as received by the Planning Commission on March 25, 1998, is hereby approved and shall be adhered to; 2) That the brick used in the construction of the office building shall be full face 4 inch brick, no exceptions: 16018 3) That the three walls of the trash dumpster area shall be constructed out of the same brick used in the construction of the building and the enclosure gates shall be maintained, and when not in the use, closed at all times; 4) That the Landscape Plan marked Sheet C-4 prepared by Marshall Erdman& Associates, as received by the Planning Commission on March 25, 1998, is hereby approved and shall be adhered to; 5) That all disturbed lawn areas shall be sodded in lieu of hydroseeding; 6) That underground sprinklers are to be provided for all landscaped and sodded areas and all planted materials shall be installed to the satisfaction of the Inspection Department and thereafter permanently maintained in a healthy condition; 7) That the Exterior Building Elevation Plans marked Sheet A4 & A5 prepared by Marshall Erdman& Associates, as received by the Planning Commission on March 25, 1998, is hereby approved and shall be adhered to; 8) That this approval does not authorize consent of any signage shown on the plans; 9) That the petitioner shall meet to the Engineering Department's satisfaction the following requirements as outlined in the correspondence dated March 26, 1998: - that the proposed approach onto Seven Mile Road shall be approved by Wayne County - that the deceleration lane on Seven Mile Road shall be extended to meet the existing deceleration lane to Victor Parkway. 10) That all other recommendations from City Departments shall be adhered to. Mr. McCann, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution adopted. Mr. Piercecchi, Secretary, announced that the next item on the agenda is Petition 98-3-8-9 by CSM Corporation, on behalf of TownePlace Suites, requesting approval of all plans required by Section 18.47 of the zoning ordinance in connection with a proposal to construct a hotel on property located at 17450 Fox Drive in the Southwest 1/4 of Section 7. 16019 Mr. Miller: This site is located on the north side of Six Mile Road between Haggerty and the I-275 Expressway. They are requesting approval to construct a AP' hotel which would be a Marriott-type hotel, called TownePlace Suites. It will consist of two buildings approximately 90 feet apart. Building A, located on the north half of the site, would be three stories in height and would contain 47 units. Building B would be on the south half of the site. This would also be three stories in height and contain 48 units, so they would have 95 units available on the site. Access to the site would be from a single drive which would enter off the south from the recently approved Fairfield Inn site. They are required to have 102 parking spaces for the site and they show 102. They are required to have 15% of the total site for landscaping and they show 24%, so they exceed the landscaping requirement. They had to go to the Zoning Board of Appeals for side yard setbacks. They have a variance for that, so they are conforming based on that variance. The hotel would be constructed of brick and vinyl siding in portions, and asphalt shingle roof. Mr. Nagy: The Traffic Bureau in their letter of April 14 indicates that they have no objections or concerns in reference to this petition. A letter from the Livonia Fire & Rescue states they have no objection to this proposal contingent upon the following: 1) a hydrant shall be located within 100 ft. of the Fire Department Connection and no closer than 50 ft. from Building A and/or B; 2) The east/west driveway along the south side of Building A •.. from the southwest corner of the building to curb on the east side of the pool shall be posted "Fire Lane-No Parking" per City Ordinance. That is signed by Rockney Whitehead, Fire Marshal. We have a letter dated April 9 from the Inspection Department: The site plan has been reviewed and the following was noted: 1) ZBA#9802-24 granted a variance for the north and south side yard. Required is 40 ft. for each side yard, 20 ft. each was proposed and granted. Also included in the variance was 1.6% or 1,430 s.f. of excess lot coverage. The date of the ZBA resolution letter is February 23, 1998. 2) The brick veneer shown on the four elevations amount to 17.8% of the total area of the outside of the building, "Guestwing A." 3) Building #2, "Guestwing B" is shown to have 16.3% of the total area of the exterior with brick veneer. 4) Brick veneer is to be the full 4" solid brick unit laid up with mortar and not the thin 1/2" panel- brick. That is signed by John Fegan, Director of Inspection. Those percentages were based on the initial plans, not the revised plans. The brick veneer has been substantially added since your Study Meeting. Mrs. Koons: Do you have a guesstimate of what the new percentages are? Mr. Miller: We figured out that it was 71%. 16020 Mr. Piercecchi: I might add that the Residence Inn is about 80%, so it's a little short of that. Timothy Jacobs, Egan, Minnesota. I am the developer for CSM Corporation and their representative this evening. When we originally came here for our Study Meeting and had our original brick ratios, we went back and reviewed all four elevations of the buildings and came up with the present 70% ratio. The end elevation was of particular interest to the Commission because of exposure to I-275 and to the Residents Inn, and we substantially enhanced that elevation to get to our present 70%. I also have brick and siding samples available. Mr. LaPine: I see you just show one trash enclosure on your plan. Is that all you are going to have? Mr. Jacobs: Yes, that is all that is required. Mr. LaPine: It says here"trash enclosure, vinyl siding, attached to firring strips on concrete block wall." Why don't we make that brick to match? Mr. Jacobs: We can do that. Mr. LaPine: Let's make that brick. You start putting vinyl siding on that and it won't stay up very long. Mr. Jacobs: The new vinyl siding that we are using should alleviate that, but we are not opposed to putting brick on that. Mr. Alanskas: With modern technology, what is being done at the present time to stop "waving" the vinyl siding? Mr. Jacobs: There are a couple of things being addressed. Basically, it's the adherence or the method that is connected to the sheathing that makes the vinyl siding wave. The new methods of connection, according to the manufacturers, is supposed to alleviate the problem of that wave that happens with temperature differentials. They tell us this will provide a consistent elevation which is what Marriott requires. Mr. Alanskas: Doesn't that vinyl have to breathe? Mr. Jacobs: Yes, it does breathe. Mr. Alanskas: So you have space behind there so it can breathe? 16021 Mr. Jacobs: Yes. The breathing space is exactly the same size, but there were too many expansion problems, and when you have moisture on top of the expansion, you have the waving problem so common to the old vinyl type. Mr. Alanskas: Also, the color you have chosen is like a yellow, what time period do you have before fading? Mr. Jacobs: I don't know what that specification is. Mr. Alanskas: Usually a light color will fade faster than a dark color. Mr. Jacobs: That is not necessarily true in a situation where it is chemically adhered vinyl siding. They tell us it will fade less than a painted surface and outside of an impregnated dryvit surface. Mr. Alanskas: What is the standard warranty for vinyl siding? Mr. Jacobs: Twenty years. Mr. Piercecchi: I am no fan of dryvit, but inasmuch as all the other buildings have that surface on it, I am surprised that this one would be in vinyl. Is there any particular reason for that? '" Mr. Jacobs: Yes. If you notice our hotel is two buildings instead of one. The Marriott concept for a townhouse suite was to develop a townhouse-like feeling. It has two buildings separated by what they call a street. They were very strong on the feeling of a residential feeling and a non-commercial-type look. That end is where the horizontal stripe of the siding entered in. The combination of the brick and horizontal vinyl strip is the reason TownPlace suites made it a prototype for that type of building. Mr. Hale: You mentioned in your initial comments that the end elevations were a big concern at our Study Meeting. It is hard to see because you do not have a rendering of what it is really going to look like. When I look at these diagrams, it looks like the end elevations still look somewhat unfinished as far as the siding in relation to the brick. Is there any sort of reasoning why you stopped the brick at the ends at the first wainscot? Why didn't you take it up to the second and third on these end elevations? Mr. Jacobs showed a rendering of the sides showing siding at the second level. Mr. Hale: Is the reasoning you showed siding at the second level to make it consistent with the other? Mr. Jacobs: Exactly. 16022 Mr. Hale: You agree that these end elevations appear to be the ones that are going to be seen primarily? Mr. Jacobs: To be very truthful, the trees that are lining I-275, I have yet to determine at what point I see that building. In the winter obviously you see more of the building than in the summer. What we did, we made it consistent in all four end caps and therefore made the brick and siding proportions subsequent to that. Mr. Hale: Do you think it would be appropriate to extend the brick on these elevations up one more story? I don't think we are talking about a huge cost factor. Mr. Jacobs: No, it is more esthetic, and it's gone through three different architects to come up with this elevation. We had our interior (meaning CSM architects) review it. We then had our consulting Michigan architect review it, and then Marriott's architects reviewed it. That's what they came up as the most proportionate elevation. Mrs. Koons: I have questions regarding your pool; people walking through your little street to the pool. To me that it is an interior kind of road and it should not be too busy, correct? Mr. Jacobs: Yes. Mrs. Koons: I am concerned about families staying there and young kids running back and forth to the pool. Mr. Jacobs: The consideration that they made - the street that exists is strictly a parking driveway. Any time you have a facility that will require you to go across the street to the pool area, you do run that risk. Since there is such a low volume of traffic involved, Marriott did not feel that that was a hindrance to putting a pool in that location. We want to keep the pool in as public an area as possible so that it would always be identified. Since you have to make three turns before you actually get into that driveway, you are not going very fast. It is not as if you are on a major road turning onto this and getting right on to the facility. You have to make a turn off of Fox Drive, then you have to make a left hand turn and then a right hand turn to actually get to that point. You are going at a very low rate of speed which Marriott thought was a comfortable level for which that pool would not be a hindrance. Mrs. Koons: How long are the buildings? Mr. Jacobs: 169 feet. 16023 Mrs. Koons: I am wondering about the consideration of a speed bump, or don't you think it is necessary? Mr. Jacobs: To be very frank, I don't know if that's been addressed. I know that in other locations within the metro area, they did put one in, but that was because they were going directly in from a main street, and they felt that since the driveway was long enough they wanted to add an extra level of safety. Here, because there are so many turns, you are going very, very slow and a speed bump would not be a consideration. Mr. Nagy: Is the pool enclosed with a fence? Mr. Jacobs: Yes, it is. Mrs. Koons: What type of fence? You have a 5' fence; what is it made of? Mr. Jacobs: It varies with location. I believe it is a 3-1/2' fence and it is not a chainlink fence. I believe the one in Brookfield is a wooden fence and I am not sure what is specified in this one particularly. It doesn't prevent someone from jumping over the top of it, but it does prevent someone from walking into it, especially in a child situation. It is meant as a deterrent. Mr. Piercecchi: Your drawings show you have a 5' fence. Mr. Jacobs: That's even better. Mr. McCann: The City requires a 5' fence. Mrs. Koons: Mr. Nagy, do we have any other hotel facilities in the area where we would have speed bumps in the drive? Mr. Nagy: Not that I recall. There was no one else present wishing to be heard regarding this item. On a motion duly made by Mr. Alanskas, seconded by Mr. Hale and unanimously approved, it was #4-57-98 RESOLVED, that the City Planning Commission does hereby recommend to the City Council that Petition 98-3-8-9 by CSM Corporation, on behalf of TownePlace Suites, requesting approval of all plans required by Section 18.47 of Zoning Ordinance #543 in connection with a proposal to construct a hotel on property located at 17450 Fox Drive in the SW 1/4 of Section 7 be approved and shall be adhered to; 16024 1) That the Site Plan marked Sheet 1 prepared by Arpee/Donnan, Inc. as received by the Planning Commission on April 6, 1998 is hereby approved and shall be adhered to; 411.1, 2) That the Landscape Plan marked Sheet 1 prepared by Arpee/Donnan, Inc. as received by the Planning Commission on April 6, 1998 is hereby approved and shall be adhered to; 3) That all disturbed lawn areas shall be sodded in lieu of hydroseeding; 4) That underground sprinklers are to be provided for all landscaped and sodded areas and all planted materials shall be installed to the satisfaction of the Inspection Department and thereafter permanently maintained in a healthy condition; 5) That the Exterior Building Elevation Plan marked Sheets A4.0 & A4.1 prepared by CSM Lodging L.L.C., as received by the Planning Commission on March 24, 1998 is hereby approved and shall be adhered to; 6) That the brick used in the construction of the hotel shall be full face four inch brick, no exceptions; 7) That the three walls of the trash dumpster area shall be constructed out of the same brick used in the construction of the building and the enclosure gates shall be maintained and when not in use closed at all times; 8) That the petitioner shall meet to the Engineering Department's satisfaction the following requirement as outlined in the correspondence dated March 26, 1998: - that the existing valley drain to the east of the property shall be cleaned and graded once construction is under way 9) That the petition shall meet to the Department of Public Safety's satisfaction the following requirements as outlined in the correspondence dated April 2, 1998: - that a hydrant shall be located within 100 ft. of the Fire Department Connection(s) and no closer than 50 ft. from Building A and/or B. - That the east/west driveway along the south side of Building A from the southwest corner of the building to curb on the east side of the pool shall be posted "Fire Lane-No parking" per City Ordinance. 16025 10) That the Sign Package prepared by CSM Corporation, as received by the Planning Commission on April 9, 1998, is hereby approved and shall be adhered to. Mr. McCann, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution adopted. Mr. Miller: The sign package is conforming, but they have to come back to the Zoning Board for the pylon sign. Mr. Nagy: The free-standing sign will be as you enter the site at the corner. Mr. LaPine: I assume they want the pylon sign along the expressway. The little sign would be only on one building? Mr. Miller: Yes, it is on Building B on the east elevation so you could see it from I- 275. Mr. Alanskas: As I understand it, Livonia is the first city in the United States to have all the Marriott's clustered in one area. Mr. Jacobs: It is proposed that metro Detroit will have four areas, but Livonia is the first. When the TownPlace Suites were introduced, it was introduced as a compliment to the Fairfield Inn, Resident's Inn and the Courtyard, not as a ,.. competitor. The proposals we have throughout the country reflect that. Mr. Alanskas: It is a good-looking building. Mr. Piercecchi, Secretary, announced that the next item on the agenda is Petition 98-3-8- 11 by L.W.P., LLC, on behalf of Brookfield Apartments, requesting approval of all plans required by Section 18.47 of the zoning ordinance in connection with a proposal to construct an apartment building on property located at 14990 Brookfield Avenue in the Northwest 1/4 of Section 22. Mr. Miller: This site is located on the east side of Brookfield between Five Mile and Meadowbrook. The petitioner is proposing to construct a two-story apartment building on the site. The building would be 11,923 sq.ft. in size and provide 10 rental units. Access to the site would be off of Brookfield and off Fairfield. The parking requirement is 25 spaces and they do show 25, so they meet the parking requirement. The landscaping requirement is 15% of the total area and they show 21%. The new apartment building would be brick on all four sides with the exception of a section of the east and west elevations being vinyl siding. The roof would be asphalt shingles. 16026 Mr. Nagy: The Traffic Bureau in their letter of April 14 states they have no objection to the site plan as submitted, however the handicapped parking space must be labeled with a handicap parking sign in addition to pavement markings. The Inspection Department states there were no apparent deficiencies found. The Fire Department states they have reviewed the site plan submitted in connection with a request to construct an apartment building on property located on the east side of Brookfield Avenue and they have no objections to this proposal. The Engineering Department's letter of March 26 states they have no objections to the proposal at this time, although it should be noted that public utilities might need to be extended to service the building at the developers cost. That's the extent of our correspondence. Mr. Alanskas: Scott, it says here that the landscaping provided is 21%, the majority of which is grass. What percent of that 21% is grass? It looks kind of sparse. Mr. Miller: They have submitted new landscape plans since then. It was suggested by the Planning Commission to landscape all around the building. They have planted yews all four sides of the building rather densely. Also they increased the landscaping around the dumpster area for screening purposes. I didn't figure out what percent is grass. Patty Siem, representing Kevin Hart Associates in Birmingham. With respect to the Study Meeting, we did provide more landscaping and it was asked that we provide a detail of the handicap sign. We are providing a taller sign for the handicapped space. 1 believe another requirement was to show a color rendering of the full elevation and we also have copies of the other two side elevations that show where the vinyl siding will be. Basically, the rest of it will be full brick. The rear of the facade will be brick also. Mr. Alanskas: What color will the brick be? Ms. Siem: It is a red brick. The owners, Ann and Andy Pachota, are the owners of Best Block and they will be providing all the masonry for the building. The trash enclosure will be full 4" face brick. As I said the only place that will not be brick is the ends where it is not a load-bearing wall. Mrs. Koons: The lower level apartments all have their own entry? Ms. Siem: Yes. Mrs. Koons: Where do the second level people enter? Ms. Siem showed the stairwells on Sheet A-2 of the plans. Each apartment will have its own entrance for security reasons, not a common hallway or having to 16027 buzz people in. For design and aesthetics it works out very well for all of ,`, the occupants of the complex. Mr. Piercecchi: What is the area of that building? Ms. Siem: The lot coverage is 30%, we have 19% provided. The building itself is about 7600 sq.ft. on the first floor. Overall it is about 11,000 sq.ft. Mr. Piercecchi: Are you going to require any signs? Ms. Siem: We do not have any sign details as yet, but we are planning on Brookfield a ground sign about 3' high and 4' wide, probably with a brick base also. Mr. Piercecchi: You will be providing this at a later date? Ms. Siem: Yes. Mr. LaPine: What is the square footage of the one bedroom apartment and the two bedroom apartment? Ms. Siem: The two bedroom is 1156 sq. ft. and the one bedroom is 1075 sq. ft. Mr. LaPine: These are rental apartments. Did you consider making them condos? Ms. Siem: In the future if the owners do not want to maintain the building, they would probably sell them as condos. As of now, it is in their best interest to keep them as an apartment complex. Mr. LaPine: As I understand it, you have 8 two-bedrooms and 2 one-bedrooms. Is that correct? Ms. Siem: We have 4 one-bedrooms and 6 two-bedrooms. Mr. LaPine: You will have underground sprinklers for your landscaping? Ms. Siem: Yes. Mr. Nagy: In looking at the landscape plan in reference to the question of what percentage is lawn area, I think they did a good job of planting the foundation around the building, but there should be lawn edging around the bedding so that we know exactly where the shrub beds end and the lawn begins. You show the individual plants, but you don't show where the shrub bed would end. Mr. McCann: John, you want resolution#8 to be 16028 Mr. Nagy: Provide lawn edging to separate the shrubbery from the lawn. Ms. Siem: We will be providing a more detailed landscape plan showing how the beds will be finished and if there will be certain ground covers with the shrubs and the trees. On a motion duly made by Mrs. Koons, seconded by Mr. Hale and unanimously approved, it was #4-58-98 RESOLVED, that the City Planning Commission does hereby recommend to the City Council that Petition 98-3-8-11 by L.W.P., LLC, on behalf of Brookfield Apartments, requesting approval of all plans required by Section 18.47 of Zoning Ordinance #543 in connection with a proposal to construct an apartment building on property located at 14990 Brookfield Avenue in the NW 1/4 of Section 22 be approved subject to the following conditions: 1) That the Site Plan marked Sheet S-1 prepared by Kevin D. Hart, as received by the Planning Commission on March 23, 1998 is hereby approved and shall be adhered to; 2) That the brick used in the construction of the apartment building shall be full face four inch brick, no exceptions; 3) That the three walls of the trash dumpster area shall be constructed out of the same brick used in the construction of the building and the enclosure gates shall be maintained and when not in use closed at all times; 4) That the Landscape Plan marked Sheet L-1 prepared by Kevin D. Hart, as received by the Planning Commission on April 9, 1998, is hereby approved and shall be adhered to; 5) That all disturbed lawn areas shall be sodded in lieu of hydroseeding; 6) That underground sprinklers are to be provided for all landscaped and sodded areas and all planted materials shall be installed to the satisfaction of the Inspection Department and thereafter permanently maintained in a healthy condition; 7) That the Exterior Building Elevation Plan marked Sheet P-1 prepared by Kevin D. Hart, as received by the Planning Commission on March 23, 1998, is hereby approved and shall be adhered to; 8) Provide lawn edging to separate shrub beds from the lawn area. 16029 Mr. McCann, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution adopted. Mr. Piercecchi, Secretary, announced that the last item on the agenda is Entrance Marker Application and Landscape Plan in connection with Petition 98-2-8-5 which received site plan approval to construct the Parkview Condominium Development on property located at 37931 Plymouth Road in the Southeast 1/4 of Section 30. Mr. Miller: This site is located on the south side of Plymouth Road between Newburgh and Jarvis. It recently received site plan approval from the Planning Commission to construct a condominium development on the site and as part of that approval, it was conditioned that a landscape plan and an entrance marker application come back before the City Planning Commission and City Council. That is what they are presenting tonight. They are proposing landscaping along Plymouth Road that fully complies with the ordinance. He is allowed one entrance marker at 24 sq.ft. and he is proposing one at 20 sq.ft., so it is all conforming. Mr. LaPine: John, is that sign all wood? Mr. Nagy: Yes. At the Study Meeting, you were concerned about the wood posts. This is in a shrub area so the weed whip situation would not be applicable here because there is no lawn growing up against the base. Mr. LaPine: Don't you still think it would be better if that were brick? Mr. Nagy: I do. The petitioner is not here to defend this, and it is not my position to defend the petitioner. We did confront him with that issue and he felt that because he was using a redwood treated post, it would stand up to that condition. Esthetically, the brick would be better. Mr. LaPine: He got a break from the Council. He didn't have to put as much brick on the building, so I think he should at least put brick on the pillars. There was no one else present wishing to be heard regarding this item. On a motion duly made by Mr. Piercecchi, seconded by Mr. LaPine and unanimously approved, it was #4-59-98 RESOLVED, that the City Planning Commission does hereby recommend to the City Council that the Entrance Marker Application and Landscape Plan in connection with Petition 98-2-8-5 on property located at 37931 Plymouth Road in the SW 1/4 of Section 30 be approved subject to the following conditions: 16030 1. That the Landscape Plan prepared by Calvin Hall& Associates, as received by the Planning Commission on March 24, 1998, is hereby approved and shall be adhered to; 2. That all disturbed lawn areas shall be sodded in lieu of hydroseeding; 3. That underground sprinklers are to be provided for all landscaped and sodded areas and all planted materials shall be installed to the satisfaction of the Inspection Department and thereafter permanently maintained in a healthy condition; 4. That the decorative picket fencing as shown on the approved plan shall not exceed three ft. in height; 5. That the entrance marker shown on the approved landscape plan is not approved; 6. That the entrance marker as received by the Planning Commission on March 31, 1998 is hereby approved and shall be adhered to except for the fact that the support post of the sign shall be constructed out of brick; 7. That the brick used in the construction of the entrance marker shall be full face four inch brick, no exceptions. Mr. McCann, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution adopted. On a motion duly made, seconded and unanimously adopted, the 762nd Regular Meeting held on April 21, 1998 was adjourned at 8:35 PM. -� ;ytia C')t" ` € , .A',L C. Daniel Piercecchi, Secretary q ATTEST: 't(-6-- a._ dames C. McCann, Chairman /du