HomeMy WebLinkAbout1,192 - October 25, 2022 signedMINUTES OF THE 1,192"d PUBLIC HEARINGS AND REGULAR MEETING
HELD BY THE CITY PLANNING COMMISSION
OF THE CITY OF LIVONIA
On Tuesday, October 25, 2022, the City Planning Commission of the City of
Livonia held its 1,192"d 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 David Bongero Sam Caramagno
Glen Long Carol Smiley Ian Wilshaw
Members absent: Peter Ventura
Mr. Mark Taormina, Planning Director, and Stephanie Reece, Program Supervisor;
were also present.
Chairman Wilshaw informed the audience that if a petition on tonight's agenda
involves a rezoning request, this Commission makes a recommendation to the City
Council who, in turn, will hold its own public hearing and make the final
determination as to whether a petition is approved or denied. The Planning
Commission holds the only public hearing on a request for preliminary plat and/or
vacating petition. The Commission's recommendation is forwarded to the City
Council for the final determination as to whether a plat is accepted or rejected. If a
petition requesting a waiver of use or site plan approval is denied tonight, the
petitioner has ten days in which to appeal the decision, in writing, to the City
Council. Resolutions adopted by the City Planning Commission become effective
seven (7) days after the date of adoption. The Planning Commission and the
professional staff have reviewed each of these petitions upon their filing. The staff
has furnished the Commission with both approving and denying resolutions, which
the Commission may, or may not, use depending on the outcome of the
proceedings tonight.
ITEM #1 PETITION 2022-09-02-19 Great Lakes Vet. Behavior
Mr. Caramagno, Secretary, announced the first item on the agenda, Petition 2022-
09-02-19 submitted by Great Lakes Veterinary Behavior
Consultants, PLLC requesting waiver use approval pursuant to
Section 6.59 of the Livonia Vision 21 Zoning Ordinance, as
amended, to operate a veterinary clinic at 20337-20339
Farmington Road, located on the west side of Farmington Road
between Norfolk Avenue and Eight Mile Road in the Northeast'/4
of Section 4.
October 25, 2022
30690
Mr, Taormina: Thank you Mr. Chairman. This is a waiver -use request under
Section 6.59 to operate a veterinary clinic. The site is located on
the west side of Farmington approximately 500 feet south of Eight
Mile Road within an existing multi -unit office complex that is
called The Medical Plaza. This complex consists of six buildings
under a condominium form of ownership. There is shared access
and parking for all six buildings. The zoning is C-1 (Local
Business). The overall site measures about 363 feet of frontage
along Farmington Road by a depth of 600 feet, comprising
approximately five (5) acres. Scott Colburn Western Wear store
is located immediately to the north. To the west is the newly
constructed Provision Living of Livonia senior assisted living
facility, zoned C-2, as well as On the Pond condominiums, which
is zoned multifamily. To the south is a cluster site condominium
known as Capri Court. The proposed Veterinary Clinic would
occupy the east half of Unit 2, which is also referred to as Building
B. Unit 2 is the second building on the right as you enter the
complex along the north side of the property. Great Lakes is not
a traditional veterinary clinic in terms of offering surgical or other
medical treatments or services. Instead, it specializes in treating
animal behavioral issues such as separation anxiety and
aggression. The facility would be designed to handle roughly five
to six pet patients at a time. No animals would be boarded
overnight and there would be no pet daycare services provided.
Office hours would be between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m., Monday
through Saturday. The interior of the practice would be divided
into several spaces including behavioral treatment and
consultation rooms, private offices, a reception area, restrooms,
utility and storage, as well as an employee break room. The
outdoor area for pets to get relief is now in the northwest corner
of the complex. This is adjacent to the dumpster and unlike the
original area that was to be used for this purpose, the boundary
of the property in the northwest corner is currently fenced, which
should prevent trespassing. As you'll recall from the discussion at
the study meeting, originally it was shown just to the east and
north of the suite where the practice would be located. But
because there was no demarcation separating the two properties,
there was concern about trespassing. Thus, working with the
landlord, the location has moved to the northwest corner of the
property. Additional information has been submitted which
describes and shows the new location that she'll be able to talk
about in few minutes. There is a special requirement under
Section 6.59 relative to sound proofing, but according to the
petitioner, this should not be an issue since the way the floor plan
is arranged, no pets would be in rooms immediately adjacent to
the adjoining business. Parking is determined at a ratio of one
October 25, 2022
30691
space for every 200 square feet of usable floor area. As I
mentioned previously, access and parking are shared between
the buildings, and there should be no problem with parking given
the limited use of this facility and the amount of parking available.
There are no other site changes or improvements proposed to
the site or building. With that, Mr. Chairman, I can read out the
departmental correspondence.
Mr. Wilshaw: Yes, please.
Mr. Taormina: The first item is from the Engineering Division, dated September
26, 2022, 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. The subject parcel is assigned the
address range of #20311 thru 20345 Farmington Road. The
existing parcel is currently served by public water main, sanitary
sewer and storm sewer, and no alterations to the existing
services are planned, so we do not believe there will be any
impacts to the existing systems. "The letter is signed by David W.
Lear, P.E., Assistant City Engineer. The next letter is from the
Livonia Fire & Rescue Division, dated October 4, 2022, which
reads as follows: "This office has reviewed the site plan submitted
in connection with a request to construct a commercial building
on property located at the above referenced address. We have
no objections to this proposal. 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 September 27, 2022, which
reads as follows: / have reviewed the plans in connection with
the petition. / have no objections to the proposal." The letter is
signed by Scott Sczepanski, Sergeant, Traffic Bureau. The next
letter is from the Inspection Department, dated October 18, 2022,
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 September 29, 2022, which reads as follows:
'7 have reviewed the addresses connected with the above noted
petition. As there are no outstanding amounts receivable, general
or water and sewer, l have no objections to the proposal." The
letter is signed by Connie Kumpula, Chief Accountant. The next
letter is from the Treasurer's Department, dated September 26,
2022, which reads as follows: `In accordance with your request,
the Treasurer's Office has reviewed the address connected with
the above noted petition. At this time, there are no outstanding
amounts receivable for taxes. Therefore, / have no objections to
October 25, 2022
30692
the proposal." The letter is signed by Lynda Scheel, Treasurer.
That is the extent of the correspondence.
Mr. Wilshaw: That was easy. All right, is there any questions for our planning
staff? Mark, I did have one question. You mentioned that there
was potentially the requirement for soundproofing between this
suite and another one, but we believe it's been mitigated. If for
some reason, the sound is not mitigated by the design of this
suite, and the other tenant were to potentially complain to the city
about it, would those soundproofing requirements then kick -in?
Mr. Taormina: The first course of action, I would think, would be to work with the
landlord in addressing the problem. I'm not sure, but maybe the
landlord is present this evening and can speak to that. But if that
doesn't work and a complaint is made to the City, then that is
something the Inspection Department would have to address.
Mr. Wilshaw: Okay.
Mr. Taormina: How that would be handled, I really don't know. Probably
additional soundproofing along the west side of the unit or within
the ventilation system. But I don't know specifically what that
would entail.
Mr. Wilshaw: Right, or even maybe some sort of foam padding or something in
the room to absorb some of the noise or whatever. Okay. Well,
thank you. I just wanted to know about that. Is our petitioner here
for this item? Feel free to come forward to our podium? And we'll
ask that you introduce yourself with your name and address for
our record. It can be a business address and then we'll ask you if
there's any questions.
Kari Krause and the address is actually still under my home address in Canton,
and because I do rent space from multiple locations right now, so
that made the most sense.
Mr. MIN shaw: Okay. What else would you like to tell us about your business
before we get into any questioning?
As.
Krause: Well, I know Mr. Taormina read and summarized my scope of
business very nicely. Thank you very much. So that is one of the
reasons that I did prepare that scope of practice, was so that
anyone who needed to know would have the information that this
is not your general practice primary care veterinary clinic, and so
it's much different and it definitely serves a big purpose. Since of
course... if you don't know behavior issues are extremely
common in pets, and so we definitely know that the more we can
October 25, 2022
30693
help them and help them to be good members of the community,
it also helps their owners to also live harmoniously in the
community as well. So, I just do behavioral medicine. I sort of
describe it to be a combination of psychiatry and social work,
because that's really what is involved. It's both what is going on
in the brain of the animal, as well as, of course helping the owners
of the animal help that animal to the best of their ability. I don't
know if there's anything else anyone would like to know.
Mr. Wilshaw: Well, did you want to address the bathroom area since that was
kind of a big topic of conversation at our study meeting?
Ms. Krause: Absolutely. Hopefully, you received from Scott Miller photographs
of the revised or alternative pet bathroom area, which is I mean,
there are I guess a few different options, but there is a 28 by 28-
foot area just to the west of the dumpster in the northwest corner
of the property and it is all stones. There are some trees there
and some big boulders, probably to keep cars from plowing into
the fence, I'm going to assume, but that area is very nicely set up
and fully enclosed on both the north side and the west side by a
solid wooden fence that runs all the way to the west side of
Building B. So, it's definitely appeared to be, after I talked with my
landlord, a much better option. Thank you very much for making
suggestions about what you would be looking for as far as the pet
bathroom area. Is there anything else you need to know about
that area?
Mr. Wilshaw: I think that covers it. We'll see if there's any other questions from
any of our commissioners, and well go from there. Any of our
commissioners have questions for our petitioner? Ms. Smiley?
Ms. Smiley: Are you currently doing this somewhere else?
Ms. Krause: Yes, I rent space in Plymouth, and I also rent space from a
veterinary clinic in Jackson, Michigan. That's where I came from
today, actually.
Ms. Smiley: So, this will be your primary place. The ones you start this
business?
Ms. Krause: Absolutely. It'll be my sole location,
Ms. Smiley: How will you get clients?
Ms. Krause: Thankfully, I already have a very, very well -established referral
network from primary care veterinarians in the... really in the
whole Metro Detroit area, and so 90% of my referred clients and
October 25, 2022
30694
their pets, or patients, are referred by their primary care
veterinarian. And so, I have, gosh, dozens and dozens of
referring veterinarians in Livonia, Westland, Canton, Plymouth,
Northville, Belleville, Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor, even Downriver.
S0... one thing that was very nice about this Livonia location was
it was so accessible from so many different locations that I
already get referrals from.
Ms. Smiley: Okay, and this is...l'm just curious how long this behavior
modification for the animal and the owner, how long would
sessions last?
Ms. Krause: Like a typical appointment would last one to two hours?
Ms. Smiley: Okay. And then...you can't do it in one appointment? I
Ms. Krause: No. So, right now, the total amount of time that we meet in person
with the pet owner and their pet to start with, over a six-month
period, is six hours split over multiple sessions. So yes,
absolutely, behavior does not get modified overnight.
Ms. Smiley: And then one last question, would you be the only employee
there?
Ms. Krause: I do have a Karen Pryor Academy certified training partner, so
she is a very highly educated dog trainer who is, right now until
we get into a lease space, doubling as my customer service
representative, as well. But as soon as we can get established,
there would be an additional employee who would serve as the
customer service representative. And then, of course, as we
continue to be able to service more pets and owners than what
we can do in the very limited time and day rental arrangement
that we have right now, we would absolutely...I wouldn't have an
additional trainer, employees, at least one, maybe two, I might
even have up to five or six employees. That's probably the max
that space and that sort of scheduling would allow.
Ms. Smiley: Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Wilshaw: Thank you, Ms. Smiley. Any other questions for our petitioner? I
don't see any other questions from our commissioners? Is there
anyone in our audience wishing to speak for or against this item?
I don't see anyone in our audience coming forward. Is there
anything else that you would like to add Ms. Krause before we
make our decision?
Ms. Krause: No, I just want to thank you for considering this petition.
October 25, 2022
30695
Mr, Wilshaw: Well, thank you. We appreciate you coming forward. And if
there's no further questions or comments from any of our
commissioners, I will close the public hearing and emotional
would be an order.
On a motion by Smiley, seconded by Caramagno, and unanimously adopted, it
was
#10-51=2022 RESOLVED, That pursuant to a Public Hearing having been held
by the City Planning Commission on October 25, 2022, on
Petition 2022-09-02-19 submitted by Great Lakes Veterinary
Behavior Consultants, PLLC requesting waiver use approval
pursuant to Section 6.59 of the Livonia Vision 21 Zoning
Ordinance, as amended, to operate a veterinary clinic at 20337-
20339 Farmington Road, located on the west side of Farmington
Road between Norfolk Avenue and Eight Mile Road in the
Northeast % of Section 4, the Planning Commission does hereby
recommend to the City Council that Petition 2022-09-02-19 be
approved subject to the following conditions:
1. That the operation of the subject use shall not include the
overnight boarding or care of animals.
2. That all waste shall be properly disposed of.
3. That adequate soundproofing shall be installed to the extent
necessary to ensure the elimination of any nuisance noise
emanating from within the clinic.
4. That the use of open or outdoor runways, kennels or pens
are prohibited.
5. That the northwest corner of the property, adjacent to the
dumpsters, be used as the designated outdoor pet rest area.
6. That only conforming signage is approved with this petition,
and any additional signage shall be separately submitted for
review and approval by the Zoning Board of Appeals.
7. That no LED lightband or exposed neon shall be permitted
on this site including, but not limited to, the building or
around the windows, and
8. Pursuant to Section 13.13 of the Livonia Vision 21 Zoning
Ordinance, as amended, this approval is valid for a period
of one year only from the date of approval by City Council,
October 25, 2022
30696
and unless a building permit is obtained, this approval shall
be null and void at the expiration of said period.
FURTHER RESOLVED, That notice of the above hearing was
given in accordance with the provisions of Section 13.13 of
Livonia Vision 21 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 2022-08-08-04 Ducati /BMW Dealership
Mr. Caramagno, Secretary, announced the next item on the agenda, Petition 2022-
08-08-04 submitted by Future Land Holdings. L.L.C. requesting
approval of all plans required by Sections 3,13 and 13,13 of the
Livonia Vision 21 Zoning Ordinance, as amended, in connection
with a proposal to redevelop the site, including demolishing the
existing commercial building and constructing a new 26,000
square foot commercial building for the purpose of operating a
Ducati & BMW Motorcycle Dealership, at 19265 Victor Parkway,
located on the west side of Victor Parkway between Seven Mile
Road and Pembroke Avenue in the Southeast'/4 of Section 6.
Mr. Taormina: Thank you. This request involves the redevelopment of the
former Doc's Sports Retreat Restaurant located on Victor
Parkway just north of Seven Mile Road. Development of the
original restaurant, named Cantina Del Rio, occurred in the early
1990's. Under this proposal, the restaurant building, which is
about 14,500 square feet, would be demolished and replaced
with a new 26,000 square foot building that would house two (2)
motorcycle dealerships: Ducati and BMW Motorrad. Motorcycle
sales, service and repair establishments are treated as a
permitted use in the C-4 zoning district. The subject property is
3.21 acres in size. Has 193 feet of frontage along Victor Parkway,
and approximately 300 feet of frontage along the 1-275/1-96
expressway. It was June 2019 when the site was rezoned to C-4
for the development of a new six -story dual -branded hotel
including Marriott's Aloft and Element. That project never got off
the ground due to the impacts that COVID had on the hospitality
industry. To improve visibility from the expressway, the proposed
dealership building is positioned closer to the expressway at the
west end of the property with parking available on the north, south
and west sides. The overall length of the building measures 232
feet. The placement and size of the building complies with all
October 25, 2022
30697
required yard regulations. The existing site driveway on Victor
Parkway would remain in its current location. Secondary access
is available from the adjacent commercial properties to the north
via cross -access agreements that have been in place for many
years. Upon demolition of the former restaurant building, the
easterly part of the site adjacent to Victor Parkway would be
reserved for future development. Please allow me just to
familiarize everyone with the site plan. You can see from the slide
that the site is shaped somewhat irregularly. The frontage along
the expressway is on the left-hand side of the plan. The right-
hand side is where Victor Parkway is located. Going to the
existing condition survey, this is the location of the existing
restaurant building that would be demolished. The proposed site
pIan shows the location of the new building at the west end of the
property closer to the highway. The part of the site that contains
the existing building would be reserved for future development.
The gray areas on the site plan shown around the building is
where the parking would be located. The ground floor plan shows
the layout of the combined facility. The north half would be the
Ducati dealership, whereas the south half would be the BMW
dealership. The two (2) dealerships would each have separate
entrances, showrooms, service areas, offices, and restrooms.
There are some shared areas within the building, including a
parts room, lunchroom, conference room, and the mechanical
and utility service rooms. There is also a second -floor mezzanine
that would be located above the service areas of both of the
dealerships. This mezzanine would be accessible via an elevator
that would be located on the Ducati side of the building. There
are also two stairwells at either end of the building that would
provide access to the mezzanine. The upper -level mezzanine
would be used mostly for storage but would also have two (2)
showrooms at either end with windows that would be visible from
the expressway. When we get to the renderings, I'll show the
Commission what that looks like. Required parking is based on
the size of the showrooms and service areas. Altogether, the two
dealerships require 70 parking spaces: 47 for the showrooms and
23 for the service areas. The site plan shows a total of 89 spaces
available. Looking at the site plan, the number of parking spaces
immediately adjacent to the building totals 89. In addition, 71
spaces are available by means of the cross -parking agreement
with the adjacent properties. This brings the total up to 160. Also,
another 18 spaces would be retained in the existing parking lot
adjacent to Victor Parkway; however, these spaces were not
calculated in parking needs of the proposed motorcycle
dealership. A trash dumpster would be located on the west side
of the building. The details show six-foot high, poured concrete
screened walls consisting of a simulated brick pattern. The plan
October 25, 2022
30698
also shows wood gates which will have to be substituted with
either metal or composite panels. Storm water for the
development would be managed within the existing detention
pond located on the parcel immediately to the south of the
dealership property. Going back to the aerial, you can see where
this parcel sits in relationship to the large pond, which serves as
a detention basin for not only this site, but for several of the
developed properties within Victor Corporate Park. In terms of
landscaping, the plan meets all the requirements of the zoning
ordinance. Looking at the architectural design of the building, the
exterior finish incorporates a mix of both prefinished insulated
metal panels, full brick veneer, insulated glass in aluminum
frames, concrete masonry units, and a prefinished aluminum
coping. The overall height of the building is shown at 30 feet, and
all of the mechanical units would be concealed. This rendering
shows what the new building would look like. It's a view from the
parking lot looking at the front entrances of the two dealerships:
the Ducati on the right with its trademark red color, and the BMW
on the left with its blue and black colors. Each dealership would
maintain its separate identities from the outside. The renderings
show the extent of insulated glass or glazing along the front of
both of the dealerships. The part of the building shown here is all
metal panel. The area between the two (2) dealership entrances
would be full -face brick. Here's a rendering showing it from
another angle along the front of the building. It's essentially the
same view as the previous one, but from the opposite direction
showing the Ducati dealership in the foreground and the BMW in
the background. Here's a view of the building looking slightly
above... this is the exterior facing the expressway. Again, these
areas would be covered with metal panels. The CMU at the base
of the building would probably not be visible from the highway.
These are where the two (2) service entrances are located with
overhead doors. And here's another view of the building from the
expressway. What it doesn't show is the extent of vegetation that
may partially obstruct the view. I believe it's a view from the
entrance ramp leading to the expressway and not the view that
one would have from the actual expressway. Thus, it would
probably be a little bit more concealed than what this view actually
shows. Lastly, we did receive a photometric plan today as
requested. All of the light poles would be limited to a height of 20
feet and would be directed downward with full cut-off fixtures
which complies with the City's lighting policy. With that, Mr.
Chairman, I can read out the departmental correspondence.
Mr. Wilshaw: Yes, please.
October 25, 2022
30699
Mr. Taormina: The first item is from the Engineering Division, dated October 7,
2022, 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 project at this
time. The subject parcel is assigned the address of #19265 Victor
Parkway. The legal description provided with the submitted
drawings appears to be correct and should be used in association
with this petition. The existing parcel is currently served by public
water main, sanitary sewer and storm sewer, and the proposed
project indicates the development will be utilizing the existing
utilities as much as possible, so we do not believe there will be
any impacts to the existing systems. Storm sewer detention has
previously been provided for the site by the overall Victor
Parkway development. The owner will need to submit drawings
to this department to determine permit requirements based on
final Engineering drawings once approval for the project has been
obtained. Also, it should be noted that any work within the 1-275
right -of- way, the owner will be required to obtain permits from the
Michigan Department of Transportation (MOOT)." The letter is
signed by David W. Lear, P.E., Assistant City Engineer. The next
letter is from the Livonia Fire & Rescue Division, dated October
6, 2022, which reads as follows: "This office has reviewed the site
plan submitted in connection with a request to construct a
commercial building on property located at the above referenced
address. We have no objections to this proposal with the following
stipulations: Considerations for fire suppression and fire alarm
systems. 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 October 10, 2022, 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 Scott Sczepanski, Sergeant,
Traffic Bureau. The next letter is from the Inspection Department,
dated October 18, 2022, which reads as follows: "Pursuant to
your request, the above referenced Petition has been reviewed.
1. Signage has not been reviewed. All signage shall conform to
the ordinance. A variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals
would be required for any non -conforming Signage. 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 October 7, 2022, which
reads as follows: "/ have reviewed the addresses connected with
the above noted petition. As there are no outstanding amounts
receivable, general or water and sewer, I have no objections to
the proposal." The letter is signed by Connie Kumpula, Chief
Accountant. The next letter is from the Treasurer's Department,
dated October 7, 2022, which reads as follows: "in accordance
October 25, 2022
30700
with your request, the Treasurer s Office has reviewed the
address connected with the above noted petition. At this time,
there are no outstanding amounts receivable for taxes.
Therefore, ! have no objections to the proposal." The letter is
signed by Lynda Scheel, Treasurer. That is the extent of the
correspondence.
Mr. Wilshaw: Excellent. Thank you, Mr. Toarmina. Any questions for our
planning staff? I don't see any questions. So, we will go to our
Petitioner who's in our audience. You're welcome to come
forward to our podium Good evening, whoever wants to start can
start with name and address please.
Jason Anstandig, Pocono Construction Company, 2850 Treyburn Lane, West
Bloomfield, Michigan 48324.
Mr. Wilshaw: Thank you, sir.
Charlie Knoll, current address of the Ducati dealership is 33828 Woodward Avenue
Birmingham, Michigan, and the current address of the BMW
dealership is 14855. Sheldon Road, Plymouth, Michigan 48170.
And I am the owner to be hopefully.
Mr. Wilshaw: Thank you, Mr. Knoll
Andrew Moiseev, Moiseev/Gordon Associates, Inc., 4351 Delemere Court, Royal
Oak 48073
Mr. Wilshaw: Thank you, sir. All right, who would like to start and tell us about
your business?
Mr. Anstandig: I'd be happy to start. So, I think we had a really great planning
session where we answered a lot of questions, and I think today
was the ... we brought back the takeaways we took from that
meeting, which, you know, the photometric and the isometric from
1-275, which I think we've clarified a few things on. I think there
was a few things brought up that I know that Charlie wants to talk
to, that we want to make sure that you guys are assured of and
we've brought some additional information for you as well.
Or.
Wilshaw: That'll be excellent. Thank you.
Or.
Knoll: Yes, sir. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend the meeting, as I
was called away for business, but I understand there were some
concerns, and I'm happy to answer whatever they may be.
October 25, 2022
30701
Mr. Wilshaw: Okay, we'll see what kind of questions we have for you when we
get to that. Is there anything else that you guys would like to
present before we go to questions? All right. Sounds great. Is
there any questions for our petitioner?
Mr. Bongero: Just one question. So, you're going to move the existing
businesses to this location?
Mr. Knoll: Yes. So the whole idea behind this is to build a facility that would
actually be the largest BMW motor rad dealership in the United
States, as well as the largest Ducati dealership in the United
States, right now. Both locations would cease to operate both in
Birmingham and Plymouth to become basically the home in
Livonia.
Mr. Bongero: Thank you.
Mr. Wilshaw: Any other questions? Ms. Smiley?
Ms. Smiley: Yes, good evening. What would your hours of operation be and
this is strictly motorcycles? There are no BMW cars or anything
else, right?
Mr. Knoll: Correct. Yes, this is simply motor rad or motorcycles, as we like
to call it. Hours of operations would adhere to state guidelines for
automotive related purposes. We are currently open in peak
season between 9am and 6pm, Monday through Friday, and
10am to 4pm on Saturdays and we are currently closed on
Sundays. In winter hours, which are fastly approaching,
unfortunately, we close on Sundays and Mondays.
Ms. Smiley: Okay, and then where am I going to test drive my new bike?
Mr. Knoll: Well, providing, excuse me, providing we can get you on one.
The...so this was a question that was asked at both the Plymouth
Township, as well as Birmingham, when I opened both stores and
the simple answer is that we provide a guided route to every
single client that chooses to elect to sign our waiver of liability.
We provide them the route that we, recommend and ultimately,
and the ideal route that we put in place is ... there's actually two
one for new riders that don't want to go on the freeway, we have
a no freeway route. My intention is to get you out of Victor
Parkway as quickly as possible. So, leaving the proposed site,
we would have you exit or take a right on Victor Parkway. Then
my proposed route currently states that you would take a right
going westbound on Seven Mile road over to, excuse me, over to
Northville Road. From there you would go southbound until you
October 25, 2022
30702
it essentially Hines Park, taking that over to the Schoolcraft
service drive. Then this is where it can differentiate. You can
either choose to go northbound on Newburgh all the way back up
to Seven Mile and then pull back into our facility down Victor
Parkway. If you did elect to go down to the highway route from
the Schoolcraft service you would go over 1-96 then back down
through on and merge onto 1-96, which of course leads on to I-
275 northbound, take that up to Seven Mile, exit on the eastbound
side of the Seven Mile ramp and then you're first left into Victor
Parkway.
Ms. Smiley: Okay, and
I assume that in order
for you to
offer a test drive, they
have to know
how to operate, or
they
have
an endorsement?
Mr. Knoll: Yes, per Michigan law, they actually have to show a...we have to
have them sign a liability waiver, first of all, and secondly, yes,
they have to have a motorcycle helmet. They have to have proper
safety gear and they have to have a Michigan Motorcycle Safety
endorsement.
Ms. Smiley: Great. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Wilshaw: Thank you, Ms. Smiley. Any other questions for our petitioner?
Mr. Caramagno?
Mr. Caramagno: I had a question about the lighting on the outside. Excuse me,
upstairs display windows where you are going to display the bikes
that you can see basically from the freeway, is there...I don't
recall the answer, is that going to be lit all night long?
Mr. Anstandig: I would think that we would try to have that lit as long as possible.
Yeah, for sure.
Mr. Caramagno: About how many motorcycles will you be able to put up there in
each window?
Mr. Knoll: I mean, our intention is probably about three. They're really...the
idea behind this upper facility, semi showroom, so to speak, we're
never gonna have customers up there. They're simply just
decorative showrooms to one differentiate us, to your point, that
people think that we're a motorcycle dealership that we're not a
BMW car dealership, I really want to avoid BMW cars coming in
thinking they're gonna get an oil change from us as much as
possible. Secondly, just to add some pizzazz to the building from
both the northbound and southbound lanes of 1-275.
Mr. Caramagno: I think it looks good. How many employees will you have here?
October 25, 2022
30703
Or. Knoll: Currently, between both stores, I have a total 27 Including myself.
We are going from approximately a total of 30,000 square feet
between those stores to a similar size, but it's a building designed
for motorcycle uses whereas my current buildings, one was a
flower shop, and one was actually an existing Buick dealership.
So, we're designing this building to accommodate motorcycle use
only. So, my headcount will probably increase by about 10
people. So I'm thinking about 35 to 36 people.
Mr. Caramagno: That's good. The names you have on the building on the left, left
hand side the BMW motor rod, is that the name specific to your
dealership?
Mr. Knoll: It is not. The current dealership name is BMW motorcycles of
Southeast Michigan, located in Plymouth. We are working to
revise that name. We are working with Motor rod, North America
to figure out which name would be admissible to them. We're
thinking possibly Motor City, something tying obviously the roots
of Detroit back into the brand name because one BMW
motorcycles of Southeast Michigan is very long on the tongue,
and a lot of people when you tell them where you're located,
they're like where is that? Obviously, it's in Southeast Michigan,
but it's a pretty large area. So, we're trying to differentiate it. They
will not allow us to use the name Livonia in the masthead,
unfortunately. But so we're going to be either using the name
that's existing which is BMW MC of SEM or Southeast Michigan,
and Ducati Detroit would remain Ducati Detroit,
Mr. Caramagno: So, Ducati will use the Detroit, but you can't use Livonia?
Mr. Knoll: Correct. Yes, and unfortunately, there is a BMW Detroit or else I
would be, you know, pulling teeth to get that name already.
Mr. Caramagno: Okay. Thank you.
Mr. Wilshaw: Thank you. Mr. Caramagno. Any other questions for our
petitioner? Ms. Smiley?
Ms, Smiley: What kind of security precautions are you taking? This is a very
nice dealership.
Mr. Knoll: Well, I mean, obviously, we will have an anti -theft system and
surveillance system on premises. I don't plan on having anything
further than that. In the nine years that I've been in Birmingham
with, you know, one of the highest line motorcycle brands,
probably in the world, I have never once had a theft issue. I've
October 25, 2022
30704
never once had a break in issue, and that's directly on Woodward
Avenue, which is, you know, extremely heavy traffic area. But
think, thankfully, we've never had once an issue, and I hope that
continues.
Ms. Smiley: Great. Thank you.
Mr. Wilshaw: Excellent. Thank you. Ms. Smiley. Any other questions for
petitioner?
Mr. Long: You piqued my interest, why won't they let you use the name of
Livonia? Is it based on population size or?
Mr. Knoll: It's a German thing. That's why we can't even say motorcycles.
We have to say BMW motorradI
Mr. Long: All right. Just made me curious. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Wilshaw: You're welcome. Mr. Long.
Mr. Anstandig: If I could,
I just
want
to answer
another
question with the fire
marshal's
review.
The
building is
planned
to be suppressed.
Mr. Wilshaw: Excellent. Thank you. Any other questions for petitioner? Just
one for me, you are planning on probably having some events or
activities on site as well, special activities? Would those be an
occasion that you would have people come in for particular
events? Or maybe new model releases things like that?
Mr. Knoll: We do. Yes. I
mean, we plan
on having events on a regular basis
between both
brands and co
-branded events as
well.
Mr. Wilshaw: Okay, how about any training, motorcycle rider training?
Mr. Knoll: You know, we've done a very good job partnering with
Schoolcraft Community College who offers the Motorcycle Safety
Foundation. So, you know, them being directly across the street
from us is really just a feather in our cap that we have the ability
to offer those services on such a local basis. So, our intention is
to not offer... first of all, we don't have the parking lot facility to
accommodate any type of onsite training like that. And quite
frankly, the Michigan State or the Michigan Safety Foundation
does such a fantastic job that we really ... we try to push as many,
you know, non -endorsed enthusiast that direction in the hopes
that they come back and source us for their motorcycle needs.
October 25, 2022
30705
Or. Wilshaw: Okay, excellent. That's good. I think this is a good start. If there's
any... if there's no other questions from any of our
commissioners? Mr. Long?
Mr. Long: Mark, in the study session, we talked about how the portion of the
parcel being held for future development would likely be hydro
seeded, is that correct still, because I know in our approving
resolution, we call for sod instead of hydroseeding?
Mr. Taormina: Yes, the standard language regarding sod and irrigation is in the
prepared resolution, but this can be altered. Because it's a fairly
large area and the point made at the study session was that if
development of the second phase progresses quickly, then it
probably makes sense just to have this area hydroseeded. But if
on the other hand it's going to sit vacant for a long time, then the
preference would be that it should be properly finished and
maintained with sod and irrigation.
Mr. Long: Okay. So, can we throw that one to the discretion of the Planning
Department? Inspection department or who?
Mr. Taormina: Yes, we can adjust the language accordingly, in a way that
addresses that timing issue.
Mr. Long: Sounds good. Thank you.
Mr. Wilshaw: Thank you, Mr. Long. Anything else from any of our
commissioners? Is there anyone in our audience wishing to
speak for or against this petition? I don't see anybody else
jumping up. We'll give you guys the last word. Thank you for
coming. Is there anything else you'd like to add before we make
our decision?
Mr. Knoll: Nott for me, thank you.
Mr. Wilshaw: Thank you.
All
right.
Great. If
there's no other comments or
questions at
this
point,
I will ask
for a motion.
On a motion by Long, seconded by Bongero, and unanimously adopted, it was
#10-52-2022 RESOLVED, That the City Planning Commission does hereby
recommend to City Council that Petition 2022-08-08-04
submitted by Future Land Holdings. L.L.C. requesting approval
of all plans required by Sections 3.13 and 13.13 of the Livonia
Vision 21 Zoning Ordinance, as amended, in connection with a
proposal to redevelop the site, including demolishing the existing
commercial building and constructing a new 26,000 square foot
October 25, 2022
30706
commercial building for the purpose of operating Ducat & BMW
Motorcycle Dealerships, at 19265 Victor Parkway, located on the
west side of Victor Parkway between Seven Mile Road and
Pembroke Avenue in the Southeast'/ of Section 6, be approved
subject to the following conditions:
1. That the General Site Plan, identified as Sheet No. SP2,
dated October 5, 2022, as revised, prepared by Nowak &
Fraus Engineers, is hereby approved and shall be adhered
to.
2. Parking spaces shall be doubled striped at ten feet (10')
wide by twenty feet (20') in length.
3. That the Landscape Plan, identified as Sheet No. L2, dated
October 3, 2022, prepared by Nowak & Fraus Engineers, is
hereby approved and shall be adhered to.
4. That all disturbed lawn areas, including road rights -of -way,
shall be sodded or hydroseeded at the discretion of the
Planning Department.
5. 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.
6. That the Elevations Plan, identified as Sheet No. A3, dated
October 4, 2022, as revised, prepared by MGA
Architects/Designers, is hereby approved and shall be
adhered to.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. That
all
exterior light fixtures shall not exceed
twenty feet
(20')
in
height and shall be aimed and shielded
to minimize
October 25, 2022
30707
stray light trespassing across property lines and glaring into
adjacent roadway.
10. That except for what may be authorized under the Zoning
Ordinance as part of a temporary sales event, any type of
exterior advertising related to the sale of the vehicles
designed to attract the attention of passing motorists, such
as promotional flags or streamers, shall be prohibited.
11. That there shall be no outdoor storage of vehicle parts,
equipment, scrap material, waste petroleum products,
junked, unlicensed or inoperable vehicles, or other similar
items in connection with this operation.
12. That only conforming signage is approved with this petition,
and any additional signage shall be separately submitted for
review and approval by the Zoning Board of Appeals.
13. That no LED light band or exposed neon shall be permitted
on this site including, but not limited to, the building or
around the windows.
14. 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,
15. Pursuant to Section 13.13 of the Livonia Vision 21 Zoning
Ordinance, 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
adoptedI It will go on to City Council with an approving resolution.
ITEM #3 PETITION 2022-09-08-05 Plymouth Armory
Mr. Caramagno, Secretary, announced the next item on the agenda, Petition 2022-
09-08-05 submitted by Plymouth Armory L.L.C. requesting
approval of all plans required by Sections 3.10 and 13.13 of the
Livonia Vision 21 Zoning Ordinance, as amended, regarding a
proposal to construct an addition to the existing building at 27492
Five Mile Road, located on the north side of Five Mile Road
October 25, 2022
30708
between Inkster Road and Foch Avenue in the Southeast'/4 of
Section 13.
Mr. Taormina: Thank you. This item involves expansion of an existing
commercial building located at the northeast corner of Five Mile
Road and Foch Street just west of Inkster Road. The business is
called Plymouth Armory, which specializes in customizing and
selling firearms. The property measures 92 feet in width by 162
feet for a total area of approximately 0.3 of an acre. The site is
comprised of two (2) separate zoning classifications: the south
122 feet is zoned C-1 (Local Business), whereas the north 40 feet
is zoned P (Parking). The existing one-story commercial building
on the property measures 1,280 square feet and is positioned
near the east side of the property. Parking is available on the west
and north sides of the building, but mostly on the west side. The
proposed one-story addition is proposed on the north side of the
building on a portion of the site currently zoned C-1. The addition
measures 468 square feet, so, upon completion, would increase
the gross floor area of the building to approximately 1,750 square
feet. The footings and slab have already been built, which
constitutes a violation of the building code and zoning ordinance.
After -the -fact inspections by the City's Inspection Department
may require exposing the footings to verify compliance with the
minimum required construction standards. However, the location
and size of the addition appears to meet all required yard
regulations. The exterior of the existing building consists mostly
of brick and has a peaked, asphalt -shingled roof. The addition
would consist of split -face block masonry units and would also
have a peaked roof. The height of the addition is lower than the
height of the existing building and would not be visible from Five
Mile Road. The addition would be used mainly as a shop and
receiving area for the Armory. An overhead door and a separate
entrance door would be provided on the west side of the addition.
Looking at the building from the west side, you can see the
overhead door and other entrance door. Along the front of the
building, which is the south elevation, the plans show that the
existing window openings, four in total, would be infilled with split -
face block. At the study meeting, the Commission expressed
concern regarding the appearance from Five Mile Road and
suggested that spandrel panels be used either in combination
with the block or another security feature in order to maintain the
appearance of the windows. Parking is computed at a ratio of
1:150, requiring a total of 10 parking spaces. Parking would not
be impacted by the addition, and according to the aerial
photograph, there are 10 spaces available and therefore meets
the ordinance. There is a requirement for a screen wall along the
north side of the property where it borders land zoned residential.
October 25, 2022
30709
In this case, there is an existing masonry screen wall that runs
along the entire length of the north property line. An enclosed
dumpster is also shown behind the building adjacent to the
screen wall. There are no other site improvements planned with
this proposal. The parking lot layout, the landscaped areas and
the single driveway off Foch would all remain as is. This building
would be allowed one wall sign not to exceed a one square foot
for each foot of building frontage. Allowed too would be a ground
sign of 30 square feet and six feet in height. The existing ground
sign is non -conforming in size and should be removed. With that,
Mr. Chairman, I can read out the departmental correspondence.
Mr. Wilshaw: Yes, please.
Mr. Taormina: The first item is from the Engineering Division, dated October 3,
2022, 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 project at this
time. The subject parcel is assigned the address range of #27492
Five Mile Road. The existing parcel is currently served by public
water main, sanitary sewer and storm sewer, and the proposed
project does not indicate any alterations to those services, so we
do not believe there will be any impacts to the existing systems.
Should the service leads need to be revised, the owner will need
to submit drawings to this department to determine if permits will
be required. Also, should any work be required within the Five
Mile Road right-of-way, the owner will need to obtain permits with
the Wayne County Department of Public Services." The letter is
signed by David W. Lear, P.E., Assistant City Engineer. The next
letter is from the Livonia Fire & Rescue Division, dated October
4, 2022, which reads as follows: "This office has reviewed the site
plan submitted in connection with a request to construct a
commercial building on property located at the above referenced
address. We have no objections to this proposal. 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 October 4,
2022, 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 Scott Sczepanski, Sergeant, Traffic
Bureau. The next letter is from the Inspection Department, dated
October 18, 2022, which reads as follows: "Pursuant to your
request, the above referenced Petition has been reviewed. 1.
Work began on this project without permits or inspections. If this
project moves forward, permit applications along with required
plans will need to be submitted and approved before work can
commence. This Department has no further objections to this
October 25, 2022
30710
Petition." The letter is signed by Jerome Hanna, Director of
Inspection. The next letter is from the Finance Department, dated
October 7, 2022, which reads as follows: "1 have reviewed the
addresses connected with the above noted petition. As there are
no outstanding amounts receivable, general or water and sewer,
I have no objections to the proposal." The letter is signed by
Connie Kumpula, Chief Accountant. The next letter is from the
Treasurer's Department, dated October 11, 2022, which reads as
follows: "In accordance with your request, the Treasurer's Office
has reviewed the address connected with the above noted
petition. At this time, there are no outstanding amounts receivable
for taxes. Therefore, I have no objections to the proposal." The
letter is signed by Lynda Scheel, Treasurer. That is the extent of
the correspondence.
Mr. Wilshaw: Are there any questions of the Planning Director? Thank you, Mr.
Taormina. Any questions for planning staff? I don't see any. Our
petitioner I believe is in the audience. Feel free to come forward.
And we'll ask that you start with your name and address,
John Melaragni, 31492 Norfolk, Livonia, MI 48152
Mr. Wilshaw: All right. Thank you, Mr. Melaragni. what would you like to tell us
about your business?
Mr. Melaragni: I'm here to answer your questions. I wasn't aware of the meeting
last week. So, all my letter said was that this was supposed to be
the first meeting. So, Scott Miller had called me on Wednesday,
and told me there was some issues that were about the front
windows. He suggested using Spandrel and I went online; I
looked up for putting glass in front of block. Everybody told me
there are vent systems in there, but they're going to condensate
and you're going to get dirt and spiders in there. So, my
alternative was... is put glass block up and I can put steel bars
inside the building. So, the front of the building will have glass
block. You won't see any of the security bars behind them. The
security system...I had the FBI; the state police and a Livonia
Police Department look at the building. They told me if they're
going to come in, they're going to come in from the roof in the
back of the building. Through our alarm system we have sensors
for on all the joists, so as soon as somebody steps on the roof,
they set the alarm off. There are video cameras all around the
perimeter. We even take care of the building next door looking
after a roof. They'll come through our attic vent with a ... we'll put
a one by six or two by six across there. He'll kick it in and get into
the attic. Once they do that, they'll hit our motion sensors. So,
we're very secure for what we have planned to do there.
October 25, 2022
30711
Mr. Wilshaw: Okay, and I take it in regard to your security that your inventory
will be in safes are locked away,
Mr. Melaragni: Yes, everything will be in safes. As it goes, were going to be
building our own inventory. We'll be assembling firearms in the
back and altering gunsmith for other shops. Inventory is very hard
to get today if you're starting from scratch. They just ... they got so
many other orders that they got to deal with, so, we have to be
on a waiting list possibly for five years before we can get a retail
shop opened up where we could have people coming in. Right
now, it's by appointment only, and I do a lot of internet sales.
Mr. Wilshaw: Okay. All right, great. Let's see if there's any questions for you.
Mr. Bongero?
Mr. Bongero: So, just going back to the working without a permit. I know that
you...I think you pulled a permit for some minor repairs and mods
on the inside?
Mr. Melaragni: We got a hold of the Building Department last year after we
purchased the building on the 27th of August. The ordinance
officer came out and says we had to clean up all the landscaping
all around the building. So, we had to put a slab in the back of the
building to get machinery into the building. When we dug out this
for the slab, we hit water. So, I had to dig down about a foot and
a half we filled it full of stone. And then we said we're going to
have an addition. It's going to go back here. I gave prints to Randy
Abrahamson and he kind of like blew me off. So, I told him I gotta
get concrete poured here because we've got a hole dug. He says
just go ahead and start. You know it's wrong to start it, but I took
it upon myself to dig the foundations and get it poured before we
lost everything. We have swamp muck there because I took it all
the water from the building next door.
Mr. Bongero: But you did pull a permit for the inside?
Mr. Melaragni: Yeah, we have a building permit for painting walls and pulling
carpeting.
Mr. Bongero: So, there would be inspections on site and at some point...
Mr. Melragni: No inspections were required on our building permit because
we're not doing nothing structurally on the inside except replacing
drywall holes. The building is 40 years old.
Mr. Bongero: So, you just didn't understand you need a site plan permit?
October 25, 2022
30712
Or. Melaragni: Yeah, I submitted the set of prints and after I submitted, he says
well this has to be certified by an architect. It took me 10 months
to get it printed out of an architect because his parents died during
COVID, and I've been a nice guy not pushing anybody, so I am
going to pay double the permit fines and everything. I have a
certified letter that we sent in. I got 40 pictures of the foundation.
We're down 48 inches. We've got 5/8" rerod around the
foundations. We got highway grade rebar into the slab, which is
six inches. It's six bag mix with fiberglass in it. The same thing
with the foundations. We're five bag mix with fiberglass. We're
well over minimum code because I own the building. That's the
most important thing is the foundation. So, we can dig a hole next
to the foundation. I don't have a problem proving that to anybody.
Mr. Bongero: I think it's a good...it's something that looks like you certainly
need. I think food for thought next time. You know on Five Mile
pretty good chance with no permit you're gonna get caught or
somebody... the neighbors are going to call
Mr. Melaragni: I understand that.
Mr. Bongero: If you have somebody with a license doing the work, they should
have no issue getting a permit.
Mr. Melaragni: Yep. Well, like I said, we had to submit prints. It came a bigger
project than what I thought it was going to be. I thought they would
take my architect prints and turn it into something. And instead,
he said we had to have it certified.
Mr. Bongero: I mean, it's more headaches for you.
Mr. Melaragni: Yeah, I understand. This is my last building. I'm 62 now. I don't
plan on opening up another business. This is my fifth bung. I'm
tired of starting businesses and selling them. So, thank you.
Mr. Wilshaw: Thank you, Mr. Bongero. Any other questions for petitioner? Ms.
Dinaro?
Ms. Dinaro: So, do you currently own an armory or is this...
Mr. Melaragni: Plymouth Armory was a registered name 20 years ago. We
started off in the City of Plymouth with a smaller building. We
moved into Livonia in 2011. It was a 7,200 square foot building
and they started a grow house next to the building I had on
Industrial Road. So, at two o'clock in the morning, I had people
walking into my building trying to buy weed from me. So, my
October 25, 2022
30713
lawyer advised me to move. So, we sold the business off in 2020
just before the pandemic hit, and we retired basically. I got tired
of sitting around so I decided to do this again. But yeah, we've
been building gun parts for the last 25 years. I was in business
for 35 years. I just decided to turn it into a full-time business now.
Ms. Dinaro: And then you said you've talked to the FBI, you've talked to...
Mr. Melaragni: Yes, going through...when you have an ATF license you have
every bureau of the government crawling up you're behind
basically, and you have to answer a million questions and they
call you in the middle of the night to catch you off guard and
everything else for what you're going to be doing.
Ms. Dinaro: Your hours of operation?
Mr. Melaragni: Will be nine in the morning till five o'clock at night, but it's by
appointment only basically. So, they have to make an
appointment to come into the building.
Ms. Dinaro: Got it. Can you walk me through that. So, if I need...
Mr. Melaragni: I build special guns for target shooting for competition shooting
and stuff. So, you know, the $4,000 gun. So, it takes me six to
eight weeks to put a gun together, and the person comes in and
tells me what they want. I don't see them until the guns ready to
be delivered. We meet at a range. W shoot them. If they like them,
then we proceed with the purchase. So, we're not like your gun
shop like center mass or something like that where you have
people coming and going all day long.
Ms. Dinaro: Got it. Okay. Thank you.
Mr. Wilshaw: All right. Thank you. Ms. Smiley, did you have some additional
questions?
Ms. Smiley: She covered it.
Mr. Wilshaw: Thank you. Any other questions from any of our other
commissioners? Mr. Taormina?
Mr. Taormina: If I may, just a question regarding signage. What are your
intentions?
Mr. Melaragni: There is a sign in front of the building. It was Clark and From Real
Estate, and that sign is way bigger than what I need. I was told I
was grandfathered in. When we had the building inspected before
October 25, 2022
30714
we purchased it, he told me I could use that sign and I told him
I'm really not concerned about signs right now. When I'm ready
to put my name on it, well, I'll have to find out exactly what the
ordinances say, but I was told we have 30 square feet that we're
allowed for the maximum sign and that's probably twice bigger
than what I need. So, I'll probably keep the sign where it's at. I'll
just make it smaller. But I have to find out what the ordinance is
for the height and the width, you know, for what's required
because we are on Five Mile,
Mr. Taormina: You're correct. Six feet is the limit on the height and 30 square
feet for the area. So, if I understand you correctly, you would
shrink the size of the sign to comply with the ordinance?
Or. Melaragni: It's real close to being 30 square feet now. Just it's bigger than
what I need. I don't want to advertise what I'm doing there, that
big.
Mr. Wilshaw: Okay,
Mr. Melaragni: We just had a new parking lot put it in where it was lowered six
inches, so we could get rid of the water problems that we had.
Mr. Wilshaw: Excellent. Okay, good. Any other questions from any of our
commissioners?
Mr. Caramagno: So, the weapons that you build, are they only target weapons or
are you...
Mr. Melaragni: We will build like AR 15's they are custom. They'll be custom built.
Onesies out of parts, and then I'll alter to what they want done to
them .If they wanted scopes mounted on them, suppressors and
whatever, I don't have a license to manufacture a frame. Anything
thathas a serial number on it, we have to have a manufacturing
license for it. So, we'll be buying those parts. And the parts that I
build are just phenomenal parts that just fit on them. So, they're
custom pieces.
Mr. Caramagno: All custom weapons?
Or.
Melaragni: Yes, basically.
Or. Caramagno: There'd be no shooting? There's no target range? How about...
or.
Melaragni: I tried to buy the building next door to me, but a veterinarian made
a better deal on it. So, I was going to try to put a range in but that
didn't happen.
October 25, 2022
30715
Mr, Caramagno: How about ammunition?
Mr. Melaragni: As of right now? Probably not. You can't get it. For one thing, you
can't get it.
Mr. Caramagno: Okay, so there'll be no ammunition.
Mr. Melaragni: I would be more of a retail end of it. And that's not an option right
now to have a retail store for a new place opening up unless you
have connections.
Mr. Caramagno: Okay, how many people might work at your location?
Mr. Melaragni: Basically, me and possibly one other person.
Mr. Caramagno: Okay. Thank you.
Mr.Melaragni: Primarily me. I'm it.
Mr. Wilshaw: All right. Thank you. Mr. Caramagno. Any other questions for
our petitioner? Anyone in our audience wishing to speak for or
against? Don't see anybody coming forward? Anything else
you'd like to add before we make a decision?
Mr. Melaragni: Thank you for hearing me out.
Mr. Wilshaw: Thank
you, and we'll
see what the decision is.
If
there's no
further
questions, I
will go to our commission
for
a motion.
On a motion by Bongero, seconded by Long, and unanimously adopted, it was
#10-53-2022 RESOLVED, That the City Planning Commission does hereby
recommend to City Council that Petition 2022-09-08-05
submitted by Plymouth Armory L.L.C. requesting approval of all
plans required by Sections 3.10 and 13.13 of the Livonia Vision
21 Zoning Ordinance, as amended, regarding a proposal to
construct an addition to the existing building at 27492 Five Mile
Road, located on the north side of Five Mile Road between
Inkster Road and Foch Avenue in the Southeast % of Section 13,
be approved subject to the following conditions:
1. The Site Plan identified as Sheet No. SP-1, dated October
11, 2022, prepared by Brian Wiggins Architect, is hereby
approved and shall be adhered to.
October 25, 2022
30716
2. The Exterior Building Elevation Plans, identified as Sheet
No. A3 and Sheet No. A4, both dated September 26, 2022,
prepared by Brian Wiggins Architect, are hereby approved
and shall be adhered to, except that if the window openings
on the south side of the building are removed, shall be
replaced with either glass block, spandrel window panels or
a similar product that gives the appearance of windows,
subject to the review and approval of the Planning and
Inspection Departments,
3. That the exterior finish of the addition shall be
complimentary to the existing brick on the building.
4. Any new exterior 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 roadways.
5. 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.
6. That only conforming signage is approved with the this
petition, and the existing nonconforming monument sign
shall either be removed or modified so as to become
conforming.
7. 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
8. Pursuant to Section 13.13 of the Livonia Vision 21 Zoning
Ordinance, 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?
Or.
Wilshaw, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution
adopted. It will go on to City Council with an approving resolution.
ITEM #5 APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1,191st Public Hearings and
Regular Meeting
October 25, 2022
30717
Mr. Caramagno, Secretary, announced the next item on the agenda, Approval of
the Minutes of the 1,191stPublic Hearing and Regular Meeting
held on August 22, 2022.
On a motion by Smiley, seconded by Bongero , and unanimously adopted, it was
#10-54-2022 RESOLVED, That the Minutes of 1I15t Public Hearings and
Regular Meeting held by the Planning Commission on August 22,
2022,are hereby approved.
A roll call vote on the foregoing resolution resulted in the following:
AYES: Dinaro, Bongero, Long, Smiley, Caramagno,
Wilshaw
NAYS: None
ABSENT: Ventura
ABSTAIN: None
Mr. Wilshaw, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution
adopted.
On a motion duly made, seconded and unanimously adopted, the 1,192"d Public
Hearings and Regular Meeting held on October 25, 2022, Tdjourned at 8:10
p.m. /
ATTEST:
Ian Wilshaw, Chairman
CITY
no,
COMMISSION