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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPLANNING MINUTES 2012-08-21MINUTES OF THE 1,028" REGULAR MEETING HELD BY THE CITY PLANNING COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF LIVONIA On Tuesday, August 21, 2012, the City Planning Commission of the City of Livonia held its 1,028 1h Regular Meeting in the Livonia City Hall, 33000 Civic Center Drive, Livonia, Michigan. Mr. Lee Morrow, Chairman, called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Members present: Ashley Krueger R. Lee Morrow Lynda Scheel Carol A. Smiley Gerald Taylor Ian Wilshaw Members absent: Scott Bahr Mr. Mark Taormina, Planning Director, was also present. Chairman Morrow informed the audience that if a petition on tonighfs agenda involves a rezoning request, this Commission makes a recommendation to the City Council who, in tum, 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 fling. 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 2012-08SN-12 NEW BIG DADDY'S Ms. Scheel, Secretary, announced the first item on the agenda, Petition 2012 -08 - SN -04 submitted by Classic Canopy & Signs requesting approval for a ground sign pursuant to Section 18.47 of the City of Livonia Zoning Ordinance #543, as amended, for the restaurant (New Big Daddy's) at 19333 Vidor Parkway, located on the west side of Vidor Parkway between Seven Mile Road and Pembroke Avenue in the Southeast 1/4 of Section 6. August 21, 2012 25251 Mr. Taormina: This is a petition involving the construction of a new monument sign for a new restaurant, New Big Daddy's, which is located on the west side of Victor Parkway between Seven Mile Road and Pembroke Avenue. The zoning map shows the location of the property on Victor Parkway. The size of the parcel is about 1.47 acres in areas. It has just over 375 feel of frontage on Vidor Parkway and a depth of roughly 175 feel. The zoning of the parcel is C-2, General Business. Lying immediately to the south of the properly is Doc's Sports Retreat. To the east are single family homes zoned RUF, and to the north are various office buildings that make up Vidor Corporate Park. The C-2 signage is regulated under Section 18.50H of the Zoning Ordinance. It allows for one free standing sign not to exceed 30 square feel in area, 6 feet in height, 10 feel in length, and has to be situated at least 10 feet from any right -0f --way line. When Lone Star Restaurant, the former use of this properly, was approved in 1995, there was a special condition that prohibited any ground signs on the subject site for reasons primarily related to the fad that they had additional wall signs on the building. The petitioner today is requesting to amend that previous wavier use approval to remove that condition and allow for the installation of a conforming ground sign. The proposed sign would be located just south of the site's driveway and would be situated 10 feet back from the right-of-way as required by the ordinance. This rendered plan shows you where the building is situated and that the parking surrounds it on four sides. The red arrow points to where the sign would be located. Also illustrated on the same map is the adjoining parking lot for Doc's Sports Retreat and where their sign is generally located. It gives you a good reference point between the two signs and helps to illustrate why there is a need for a sign here. There is confusion for patrons visiting these establishments as to which driveway to enter because of the proximity of the driveways and the location of the buildings next to each other. There is also a curve on Victor Parkway in this area. It's really a sign that's needed to help direct traffic to the site. I'll lel the petitioner and his representative speak more in detail regarding the need. The sign would appear similar to this rendering. It would have a brick base. It would have dimensions that are in line with the ordinance requirements. It would have 30 square feel of sign area. It would be no taller than six feet in height and would be illuminated internally. With that, I'll answer any questions you might have. Mr. Morrow: Is there any correspondence? Mr. Taormina: There is one item of correspondence from the Inspection Department, dated August 9, 2012, which reads as follows: August 21, 2012 25252 "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, Assistant Director of Inspection. That is the extent of the correspondence. Mr. Morrow: Are there any questions for Mr. Taormina? Ms. Smiley: Mark, this obviously is not on that properly. Correct? The sign that we're looking at? Mr. Taormina: This sign is not. It was used to give you a good sense of what the style would look like, probably superimposed on another sign somewhere else but with the New Big Daddy's logo on it. Ms. Smiley: Okay. Because that's probably not an accurate description of the properties around it. Mr. Taormina: Not at all. Ms. Smiley: Okay. Thank you. Mr. Morrow: Is the petitioner here this evening? We will need your name and address for the record please. Dan Fitzgerald, 19235 Smock, Northville, Michigan 48167. I'm from Classic Canopy & Signs representing the New Big Daddy's. As Mark said, a couple of the hardships are that the radius coming southbound, you don't seem to catch the approach. Also, when you're heading northbound, that is a total identification problem that I've witnessed. Being there about a week ago, there was a motorcycle that was backed into by a person pulling into Big Daddy's, which was supposed to be going to Doc's, backed out into a bike, about $8,000 in damage and went back to Doc's. Its always had a problem there even when we were building it. It just seems like all the delivery trucks wound up at Doc's. Coming in southbound, all the delivery trucks for Doc's wound up at our place. We think it's needed. We also designed this sign. It is superimposed from another sign. That's why we're going off the site plan mostly. We created the site plan specifically for that. But one notion here, I did design it for the Livonia backlit ordinance that you have on your awnings. I'm the one who originally built that for your spec for your ordinance. So we're just going to light the lettering there. As you can see, at night, nothing will light but the lettenng. We might add an additional arrow under that, a small one. They're still tossing that around amongst the Parkers. Mr. Morrow: Is that it? August 21, 2012 25253 Mr. Fitzgerald: That's it. Mr. Morrow: Are there any questions from the Commissioners? Mr. Taylor: I notice you have the New Big Daddy's. You know, three or four years from now, it's not going to be the New Big Daddy's. Are you really going to use New Big Daddy's? Mr. Fitzgerald: No. I addressed that to John and Tommy and they understand that just for now. That will be vinyl that can come off. They're just trying to let other people know from the other side of town, where this was originally, that it's still Big Daddy's, but it's a new Big Daddy's, different partners. For certain reasons that has to be on there for legal reasons. Mr. Taylor: But the lettering itself is going to look like this? Mr. Fitzgerald: Absolutely. Mr. Taylor: And be internally illuminated. Mr. Fitzgerald: That is correct. Mr. Taylor: And you have no problem with the brick matching the building? Mr. Fitzgerald: No. Mr. Taylor: I definitely think you need a sign. There's no doubt about that. For one reason or another, the Council decided on the other restaurant not to put one out there. Mark explained that I think. I've been to the restaurant and you're doing a great job. Anybody who hasn't been there should gel over there and participate because they have some very good food there. Thankyou. Mr. Fitzgerald: Back around '95, signs really went under a lot of scrutiny. All the ordinances really changed big time, and they got real lough on signs. That was probably when that fell in. Mr. Taylor: Well, the association over there was really lough on signs also, the former David Johnson who started that organization over there. They were really tough on signs. I know that. It's unfortunate that you can't gel a sign at the front of the intersection on Seven Mile. There's a big pylon sign there, but they're very jealous about putting signs on that also. Mr. Fitzgerald: Yes, they're lough on that August 21, 2012 25254 Mr. Taylor: But good luck to you. Mr. Fitzgerald: Thankyou. Mr. Morrow: Is there anything else you want to add. You have the opportunity to reach our vast television audience. Mr. Fitzgerald: I pretty much covered all of our hardships that we have. Mr. Morrow: Okay. Is there anybody in the audience that wishes to speak for or against the granting of this petition? Seeing no one coming forward, a motion would be in order. On a motion by Taylor, seconded by Scheel, and unanimously adopted, it was #08-68-2012 RESOLVED, that the City Planning Commission does hereby recommend to the City Council that Petition 2012-08SN-04 submitted by Classic Canopy & Signs requesting approval for a ground sign pursuant to Section 18.47 of the City of Livonia Zoning Ordinance #543, as amended, for the restaurant (New Big Daddy's) at 19333 Victor Parkway, located on the west side of Victor Parkway between Seven Mile Road and Pembroke Avenue in the Southeast 1/4 of Section 6, be approved subject to the following conditions: 1. That the Sign Package submitted by Classic Canopy & Signs, as received by the Planning Commission on August 2, 2012, is hereby approved and shall be adhered to; 2. That this approval shall supersede Condition #4 of Council Resolution #193-95 by permitting a ground (monument) sign on the subject site; 3. That the ground sign shall not be illuminated beyond one (1) hour after this business closes; 4. That the brick used for the base of the ground (monument) sign shall match the brick of the restaurant; 5. That any additional signage shall be separately submitted for review and approval by the Zoning Board of Appeals; and 6. That the specific plans referenced in this approving resolution shall be submitted to the Inspection Department at the time the sign permits are applied for. Mr. Morrow, Chairman, declared the motion is carded and the foregoing resolution adopted. It will go on to City Council with an approving resolution. What this means is that you dont have to wail seven days for us to approve our minutes. It means you can go directly to the City Council. If you'll work with Mr. Taormina, he can work with you to get it on their agenda as quickly as possible so we can get that sign and clear up the problems that you're having. Mr. Fitzgerald: Thankyou much. I appreciate it. August 21, 2012 25255 Mr. Morrow: Is there any discussion? Mr. Wilshaw: Just to reiterate that this is a conforming ground sign to our ordinance, and I appreciate the fact that the petitioner is coming to us with a conforming sign. I absolutely have no reason not to approve it. I think it's a great idea. Mr. Fitzgerald: Thank you. Mr. Morrow, Chairman, declared the motion is carded and the foregoing resolution adopted. It will go on to City Council with an approving resolution. Mr. Taylor: This project has been going on for quite a while. I'm going to ask for a seven day waiver so that you can gel to Council quicker than waiting for two weeks for our minutes to be approved and everything. If the Commission goes along with this, you'll get that seven day waiver. So I will offer that resolution. On a motion by Taylor, seconded by Smiley, and unanimously adopted, it was #08-69-2012 RESOLVED, that the City Planning Commission does hereby determine to waive the provisions of Section 10 of Article VI of the Planning Commission Rules of Procedure, regarding the effective dale of a resolution after the seven-day period from the date of adoption by the Planning Commission, in connection with Petition 2012 -08 -SN -04 submitted by Classic Canopy & Signs requesting approval for a ground sign pursuant to Section 18.47 of the City of Livonia Zoning Ordinance #543, as amended, for the restaurant (New Big Daddy's) at 19333 Victor Parkway, located on the west side of Victor Parkway between Seven Mile Road and Pembroke Avenue in the Southeast 1/4 of Section 6. Mr. Morrow, Chairman, declared the motion is carded and the foregoing resolution adopted. It will go on to City Council with an approving resolution. What this means is that you dont have to wail seven days for us to approve our minutes. It means you can go directly to the City Council. If you'll work with Mr. Taormina, he can work with you to get it on their agenda as quickly as possible so we can get that sign and clear up the problems that you're having. Mr. Fitzgerald: Thankyou much. I appreciate it. August 21, 2012 25256 ITEM #2 APPROVAL OF MINUTES 402" Special Meeting Ms. Scheel, Secretary, announced the next item on the agenda, Approval of the Minutes of the 402otl Special Meeting held on July 10, 2012. On a motion by Scheel, seconded by Krueger, and adopted, it was #08-70-2012 RESOLVED, that the Minutes of 402otl Special Meeting held by the Planning Commission on July 10, 2012, are hereby approved. A roll call vote on the foregoing resolution resulted in the following: AYES: Scheel, Smiley, Wilshaw, Taylor, Morrow NAYS: None ABSENT: Bahr ABSTAIN: Krueger Mr. Morrow, Chairman, declared the motion is carded and the foregoing resolution adopted. ITEM #3 APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1,027'" Public Hearings and Regular Meeting Ms. Scheel, Secretary, announced the next item on the agenda, Approval of the Minutes of the 1,027" Public Hearings and Regular Meeting held on July 17, 2012. On a motion by Scheel, seconded by Smiley, and unanimously adopted, it was #08-70-2012 RESOLVED, that the Minutes of 1,027th Public Hearings and Regular Meeting held by the Planning Commission on July 17, 2012, are hereby approved. A roll call vote on the foregoing resolution resulted in the following: AYES: Scheel, Smiley, Krueger, Wilshaw, Taylor, Morrow NAYS: None ABSENT: Bahr ABSTAIN: None Mr. Morrow, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution adopted. August 21, 2012 25257 On a motion duly made, seconded and unanimously adopted, the 1,028" Regular Meeting held on August 21, 2012, was adjourned at 7:16 p.m. CIN PLANNING COMMISSION Lynda L. Scheel, Secretary ATTEST: R. Lee Morrow, Chairman