HomeMy WebLinkAboutPLANNING MINUTES 1997-06-17 15570
MINUTES OF THE 745TH REGULAR MEETING AND PUBLIC HEARINGS
HELD BY THE CITY PLANNING COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF LIVONIA
On Tuesday, June 17, 1997 the City Planning Commission of the City of Livonia held its
745th Regular Meeting and Public Hearings 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. with
approximately 20 interested persons in the audience.
Members present: James C. McCann Daniel Piercecchi Michael Hale
Patricia Blomberg Robert Alanskas John Walsh
Elaine Koons
Messrs. John Nagy, Planning Director, H. G. Shane, Assistant Planning Director, and
Scott Miller, Planner III, 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 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 has reviewed the petitions upon
their filing and have been furnished by the staff with approving and denying resolutions.
The Commission may use them or not use them depending upon the outcome of the
hearing tonight.
Mr. Alanskas, Secretary, announced the first item on the agenda is Petition 97-5-1-6 by
Charles G. Tangora on behalf of Communi Care, Inc. requesting to rezone
property located on the east side of Newburgh Road between Five Mile and
Ladywood Roads in the SW 1/4 of Section 17 from R2-A(Single Family
Residential) to R-9 (Housing for Elderly).
Mr. Miller presented a map showing the property under petition plus the existing zoning
of the surrounding area.
Mr. Nagy: We have a letter from our Engineering Department dated May 28, 1997
stating they have reviewed the referenced petition and have no objections
to the rezoning proposal. Signed by John P. Hill, Assistant City Engineer.
That is the extent of our correspondence.
Charles G. Tangora, 33500 Five Mile Road, Livonia: I represent the petitioner.
Communi Care is an assisted living facility. They have facilities in Ohio.
1 They have a site here in Michigan they are building, and that would be their
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second site in Michigan. We have two of their people here tonight and
they will have their say. Steve Mielbeck is the Vice President and is here
for Communi Care and he will talk about the operation of the facility; the
"` type of care they do and the type of resident. We also have Carla Trot who
is the architect and has been working on the building design and the site
plan. I might tell you before we filed the petition, we contacted the
neighbors and they were gracious enough to get some of the other
neighbors and approximately 40 of the neighbors aired their concerns and
we tried to address those. We also visited the site afterwards. There was a
second meeting on site. Most of the people in attendance were on
Liverpool Street and live directly behind the facility. A couple of items
heard were traffic, which is always a concern of neighbors in the immediate
area, and a water problem in the back of the property that the people on
Liverpool were concerned with. We've tried to address both problems and
I think Carla Trot will explain those. We are well aware of the previous
petitions that have been filed on this particular facility. I think at one time
there was talk for a fire station there, and about a year ago someone filed a
petition for an office usage. And down through the years there was talk
about an extension of a commercial use onto Newburgh Road. There were
developers who were looking at this property with great desire. We feel
that this type of facility needs an R9 zoning. Obviously anything that goes
there will have an effect on traffic. We think that this is one of the least
intensive use of this property that you could possibly have. People who are
in the assisted living units are elderly and don't have cars. I will now turn
it over to Mr. Mielbeck and Miss Carla Trot. I notice there are quite a few
neighbors in back. We will have site plans here on the table, and I invite
you to move up front to see those.
Steve Mielbeck, Vice President of Communi Care Health Services, 4700 Ashwood Drive
in Cincinnati, Ohio: I appreciate your giving us this time tonight. I have
been in Livonia several months now reviewing several sites and we are very
enthusiastic about this one. I think we are more enthusiastic about working
with the neighbors, and we have had a very good relationship. We started
out explaining what assisted living is at the first meeting we had here at the
library. Assisted living is really supported living for the elderly. It is
allowing ADL, or Activities of Daily Living, giving assistance to the
seniors that need help with daily living. Definition of ADL daily living
would be dressing, bathing, etc. Our goal is, and what our organization
has done for the last 14 years in the 10 different properties that we have
throughout Ohio, and we are also looking at properties in Michigan and
Wisconsin, is to build senior housing and assisted living residences that will
blend into the community and be an asset to the community. We look to
go into small communities like Livonia. We don't look to go into very
rural communities and we don't look to go into downtown communities.
The average age for assisted living is about 83 years old, normally about
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65% to 75% female, and because assisted living is non-government
subsidized right now, it is all private funding right now. We expect
government funding to come into play in about 3 to 5 years, but it is not
`�- available right now. You are looking at people who can afford anywhere
from $75 to $100 a day. All their utilities, all their food, transportation to
and from doctors, activities going out , dry cleaners and other amenities
like that. Traffic has been a big issue. With assisted living, and they have
just come out with a recent study, in the current residences we have in
Cleveland, and the people that drive, we have two people who drive. One
family has a son who keeps his mom's car in the driveway there, but keeps
the keys because he is not going to let her drive. You don't have a lot of
people in assisted living who drive. In fact most of the people are very
happy to use our transportation and not have the headaches of a car. You
have about 2% of the suites with people who drive. So in this facility with
65 suites, 2% would be 13 people who drive and in our estimation that
would be extremely high. There is very little noise that would come from
this type of property. There are deliveries, but most of the deliveries are
scheduled. Normally you would have two dairy deliveries a week, one
staple delivery a week and most of the time those deliveries would take
place from 7:00 to 9:00 in the morning. Any of the waste deliveries are
done in that time frame. Visitation and traffic coming in--the best analogy I
can make is how often we visit Mom and Dad. These seniors are not sick.
They are healthy elderly. This is not a nursing home and we need to make
that very clear. We will get some visitation during the weekends and
holidays the most. We've tried to design in the element, because we know
from the neighbors, that one of their biggest concerns was traffic in and out
and what we have tried to do is break up some of the traffic, and I think
you will see in this design that we have attempted to do that. Our company
has 15 years of experience. We are privately owned and based in
Cincinnati. We are a diversified health care company. We have 10 senior
projects including assisted living residences and nursing homes right now
all based in Ohio. We do have 4 other projects that we have zoning
approval and we are in one phase or another in other states. We also own
a home care company located in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. We own a
rehabilitation company that not only does rehabilitation for our company,
but does it for other companies as well. Finally we have a management
company that will go in and manage other health care entities. We are
privately owned by Steve Rosedale who is a private health care provider by
trade and believes very strongly in the phrase that we must have world-
class people delivering world-class service generating world-class revenues.
If we don't have the service and the people behind us, then we will not be
able to be in business. We put service and people ahead of everything in
the organization.
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Mr. Piercecchi: You mentioned that everyone in your facility would be healthy. What do
you do when someone gets sick?
'+r Mr. Mielbeck: You have to define what sick means. If they need hospitalization and they
need to come back, and they need 24 hour nursing care, we send them to a
nursing home. They would not be able to have 24 hour nursing care in our
facility. That is part of the assisted living regulations.
Mr. Piercecchi: That's for an extended period, not just for a few days, correct?
Mr. Mielbeck: Correct.
Mr. Piercecchi: Where are you different than the other two we will be discussing tonight,
the Lutheran Heritage Village and the Lutheran Village of Michigan who
are also in this form of business.
Mr. Mielbeck: I don't know them, so I wouldn't be able to answer that.
Carla Trot, DSI Architects, in Columbus, Ohio: One of our primary focuses in both the
site and the architectural development of this property was creating a
facility that worked with the existing neighborhood. I also would like to
thank the neighbors. We met with them twice; the first time in a formal
situation and then informally at one of the neighbors homes where we were
able to really get into a detailed discussion. Basically, we've placed the
building in the center of the site. There were two large group of trees
around the existing houses and we wanted to make this facility look as if
it's been there for a long time so we are doing our best to preserve as many
of the existing trees as possible. We have maintained the 50' rear and front
setbacks and we've placed the parking to the side of the facility so that it
would be as inconspicuous as possible. In developing the architecture, you
will see that what we've done is that we've tried to create three different
kind of structures creating like an H shape so that they look more like
three separate buildings. We've also placed landscaping in this area to try
to mask these buildings to add to that idea of creating three separate
facilities. There is an outdoor garden space that is in the back portion here,
that is surrounded by a 6' wall. Also, there is a service area in the back
surrounded by a 6' wall. The wall will probably be brick columns with
wood structures in between. We have placed the dumpster as far as we
could from the back property line. From our discussion with the neighbors
we moved it so it is more than 80' from the back and totally screened and
enclosed by vegetation. The walled courtyard would have a water feature
which would make a nice sound and ambiance. It's separated from the
neighbors with three layers of trees. There are ornamental trees on the wall
and deciduous trees and evergreens. We looked at a couple different
access options. At the informal meeting, an option was presented with the
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entrance directly opposite Sherwood Court. There was some objection to
that because the neighbors felt that traffic would come across and use this
way to maneuver across Newburgh Road. We are also presenting a second
r•- option which we feel is better because of that comment, and that is to
separate the entrances and create two curb cuts. We have approximately
280' between Kingsbury Avenue and Sherwood Court South, and 320'
between Sherwood Court South and Sherwood Court North. We are
looking at approximately 150' between curb cuts. That would allow us to
not only have direct access across from here, but then make some
handicapped parking directly in front of the building. One of the other
main concerns that the neighbors had was a situation in their backyards.
When this property was developed, what happened was that this site
naturally drained and then someone came in and just cut down and created
a grade difference of almost 4' at this end, and probably a foot down here.
What happens is this drains across here and ends up in the neighbors
backyard and floods their yard. We have proposed to place catch basins
and a French drain system across the back of this property which would
catch the water, not only draining on the surface and by providing a French
drain catching some of the subsurface ground water and channeling that
water into our detention area and releasing it at an acceptable rate to the
city. We are also providing landscaping in this area. That was a request
from the neighbors to create more of a park-like setting.
This is a rendering where you can see where we've recessed these two
central connecting pieces and the facility looks like three separate homes
from the front. Another concern that the neighbors had is we showed them
a rendering of another project where we had two stories, Something that
we changed with the architecture to respond to that concern is that we've
now provided sloping roofs with dormers so that instead of having a
situation where the elevation is straight up from the ground, it is sloping
back, so that eliminates the roof from being close to the property.
The base of the building would be brick, and then there are small portions
of vinyl. There would be a fair amount of this that you would see in the
roof using an off-white high-quality vinyl siding and there would also be
white trim on that and a very nice dimensional shingle in kind of a gray.
Mr. McCann: You are going to go brick up past the top of the first floor all around the
building?
Ms. Trot: Yes, and in the back as well.
Mr. McCann: Do you have a site plan showing what the neighbors in the rear are going to
see what the building is going to look like?
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Ms. Trot: Actually, it is very similar. For instance, in the rear of the building you would
not have the porte cochere. There would be the 6' wall of the courtyard
surrounding it.
Mr. Pierchecchi: Mr. Chairman, if this rezoning is approved, we would take on the site
plan at another meeting.
Mr. McCann: Absolutely.
Mr. McCann: Is there anyone in the audience wishing to speak for or against this
petition?
Don Sedestrom, 37637 Sherwood Court, Livonia, for 17 years, directly across from
Newburgh Road and the property under consideration for rezoning: While
I am mindful that the petition tonight concerns the rezoning of the property
east of Newburgh between Five Mile Road and Ladywood in the SW 1/4
of Section 17, I want to comment on the site plan which I examined in the
Planning Commission office and which we saw here again tonight. The
residents of Sherwood Court, and I have talked to virtually all of them,
are unanimously in opposition to having the entrance to the facility directly
opposite South Sherwood Court as indicated on the site plan. Having the
entrance with direct access to Sherwood Court would encourage drivers
to go straight across Newburgh, onto the Court in order to complete the
risky left turn onto southbound Newburgh. Instead, place the entrance
further toward Five Mile Road, perhaps off of Kingsbury which is a
through street. At this time, there are 17 school age or pre-school age
children residing on Sherwood Court. Sometimes these children play in the
street or have a need to go across. Even now cars cut through the Court
to avoid traffic. To make it easier for drivers to use the court as a
turnaround creates an additional traffic hazard in this otherwise traditional
quiet residential setting. In an earlier meeting between area residents and
representatives of Comuni Care, someone from Communi Care said they
wanted to be good corporate neighbors. Placing the entrance to the facility
away from Sherwood Court would be a very strong demonstration of this
desire to be a good neighbor.
Denise Dibiase: I live in one of the properties that will be facing this facility. I am new in
Livonia, and I was probably one of the most outspoken people for not
allowing this to come in. I am the person who called the company and
asked them to walk the site. I am the person who sent my husband to
Cleveland to see what the place looked like. I am their neighbor, and I
support their coming in. I found them to be willing to make changes, they
walked the field with us, they marked our trees, they reassured us that they
want to be our neighbor. I work in the industry as well, so I have some
inside concerns which they have been able to very favorably answer for me.
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You have to trust them. If they do us wrong, we know where you're at.
They have come across as genuine and sincere. Shame on them if they're
not. I give my approval to this.
Mr. Pierchecchi: Didn't the two curb cuts solve the problem?
Mr. McCann: They would do that. This isn't site plan review and we're not going to get
into that. We do know there is an option.
Lorraine Maser, 37610 Sherwood Court North: As far as the secondary option of putting
in the entrance and an exit, even putting an exit at opposite ends of
Sherwood Court is still the same problem. Please, if you are going to let
this facility come in, and we are not totally against it, please do not allow
them to put any entrances or exits opposite Sherwood Court.. It would be
a giant race track for traffic to turn around. I sit on Sherwood Court right
now trying to go either north or south on Newburgh, and the other day I
timed myself and it took seven minutes to get traffic clearance so that I
could simply get out of Sherwood Court onto Newburgh. If they do put in
a deceleration lane, which they talked to us about, we're in favor of that.
Still, even with two driveways, don't put them opposite Sherwood Court
or we might just as well be landlocked in our own houses.
Linda Quertermous, 37630 Sherwood Court: I object to this two-story building. We
have no two-story buildings in our area and I can't see why we have to
have that now. I was at the original meeting and they are sloping the roof,
but it is a two story building. I do not care to look at that from my deck,
and I wish you would consider one story.
Mr. McCann: That will be a site plan and you will be allowed to come back to that
hearing.
Vicki Hicks, 37578 Sherwood Court: We have always wanted this property to be
developed into houses and we still feel it is the right thing to do. The site
plan we saw tonight looked like it had to entrances across from Sherwood
Court , and in fact if they've done that, I'm all for that. When they told us
how tall their building was, it was 35' tall. Even though we have a lot of
colonials in our neighborhood, 35' is a very tall building. If they changed it
to less than 35', I think it would have less impact on our neighborhood.
The site plan they showed us showed a large section of maybe 300' across
that had nothing sitting on it. My concern based on the fact that this
company owns other facilities and does own nursing care kinds of facilities.
If we rezone this property, I would like to make sure that there is some
way that that chunk of land that is not being used right now, doesn't get
turned into the nursing home facility for when the people in the assisted
living can no longer live there will just move them next door. We have
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already live near St. Mary's Hospital and we already have enough
ambulance traffic. If a nursing home gets put in there, the traffic will get
worse. If it is just zoning for assisted living, I would be for it, although I
r..- would prefer homes.
Mr. Tangora: We will bring the plans out to the outer lobby so that the neighbors can
review the site plans a little more.
There was no one else present wishing to be heard regarding this item and Mr. McCann,
Chairman, declared the Public Hearing on Petition 97-5-1-6 closed.
On a motion by Mr. Hale, seconded by Mr. Piercecchi and unanimously approved, it was
#6-95-97 RESOLVED that, pursuant to a Public Hearing having been held on June
17, 1997 by the City Planning Commission on Petition 97-5-1-6 by Charles
G. Tangora on behalf of Communi Care, Inc. requesting to rezone property
located on the east side of Newburgh Road between Five Mile and
Ladywood Roads in the SW 1/4 of Section 17 from R2-A(Single Family
Residential) to R-9 (Housing for Elderly), the Planning Commission does
hereby recommend to the City Council that Petition 97-5-1-6 be approved
subject to the following conditions:
1) That the proposed change of zoning is compatible to and in
harmony with the surrounding uses and zoning districts in the area;
2) That the proposed change of zoning will provide for additional
senior housing opportunities which have been identified as being
needed in the community;
3) That the proposed change of zoning will provide for a transition or
buffer zone between the single family uses in the area and a major
thoroughfare; and
4) That the proposed change of zoning will provide for a use which
generates very little additional vehicular traffic.
FURTHER RESOLVED that, notice of the above hearing was given in
accordance with the provisions of Section 23.05 of Zoning Ordinance#543 as
amended.
Mr. McCann, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution
adopted.
Mr. Alanskas, Secretary, announced the next item on the agenda is Petition 97-5-2-10
by Stuart Frankel, Newburgh Plaza, requesting waiver use approval to
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relocate the Wing Yee Restaurant within Newburgh Plaza located on the
south side of Six Mile Road between Newburgh Road and Fitzgerald Avenue
in the NW 1/4 of Section 17.
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Mr. Miller presented a map showing the property under petition plus the existing zoning
of the surrounding area.
Mr. Nagy: We have a letter from the Engineering Division dated May 28, 1997 stating
they have no objections to the waiver use proposal. That is signed by John
Hill, Assistant City Engineer. A letter from David Woodcox, Sr. Building
Inspector, states the subject petition has been reviewed and no problems or
deficiencies were found to exist. A letter dated May 20, 1997 from
Rockney Whitehead, Fire Marshal, states that mixed use groups require a 2
hr. fire rated separation. The east wall of masonry construction with fire-
cut steel bar joists of proposed tenant space appears to satisfy this
requirement. However, construction of the west wall of proposed tenant
space must be upgraded, floor to deck, to also provide 2 hr. fire rated
separation. We also have a letter from the petitioner, Stuart Frankel, as
follows: "We are in receipt of a Notice of Public Hearing for the above
petition but regretfully we will be out of the country on June 17, 1997 and
would like this item postponed until the next meeting on July 1, 1997."
Mr. McCann: Since the petitioner is not here tonight, we will go directly to the audience.
Is there anyone in the audience who wishes to speak for or against this
petition? There was no one in the audience wishing to speak on this
petition and Mr. McCann closed the public hearing on Petition 97-5-2-10.
Mr. Pierchecchi: Mr. Chairman, do you think it would be prudent to table this item?
Mr. McCann: Mr. Nagy, is there any reason to table this? I think we have all seen it
multiple times. Is there any advantage?
Mr. Nagy: Only if you feel that you would benefit by it. Certainly you have looked at
this with the rezoning proposals and at our study meeting. Wing Yee is
already operating and has been there for years, so it is not a new entity in
that sense, but it is your decision, and you are comfortable with it, it could
be approved tonight.
Mr. Piercecchi: It is just a waiver use to relocate within the same plaza, and in the process
of changing sites, he realizes he loses 37 seats.
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On a motion by Mr. Piercecchi, seconded by Mrs. Blomberg and unanimously adopted, it
was
#6-96-97 RESOLVED that, pursuant to a Public Hearing having been held on June
17, 1997 by the City Planning Commission on Petition 97-5-2-10 by Stuart
Frankel, Newburgh Plaza, requesting waiver use approval to relocate the
Wing Yee Restaurant within Newburgh Plaza located on the south side of
Six Mile Road between Newburgh Road and Fitzgerald Avenue in the NW
1/4 of Section 17, the Planning Commission does hereby recommend to the
City Council that Petition 97-5-2-10 be approved subject to a limitation on
the number of customer seats to be no more than 126 seats for the
following reasons:
1) That the proposed use complies with all of the special and general
waiver use standards and requirements as set forth in Sections
11.03 and 19.06 of the Zoning Ordinance#543;
2) That the subject site has the capacity to accommodate the proposed
use; and
3) That the proposed use is compatible to and in harmony with the
surrounding uses in the area.
FURTHER RESOLVED that, notice of the above hearing was given in
accordance with the provisions of Section 19.05 of Zoning Ordinance
#543, as amended.
Mr. McCann, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution
adopted.
Mr. Alanskas, Secretary, announced the next item on the agenda is Petition 97-5-2-11
by Stuart Frankel, Newburgh Plaza, requesting waiver use approval to
transfer the Class C liquor license to the proposed relocated Wing Yee
restaurant within Newburgh Plaza located on the south side of Six Mile Road
between Newburgh Road and Fitzgerald Avenue in the NW 1/4 of Section
17.
Mr. McCann: Again, this is related to the last item, moving the liquor license along with
the restaurant within the mall. Mr. Nagy, is there any correspondence?
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Mr. Nagy: Only to the extent that the same correspondence that was submitted in the
previous petition for the restaurant usage was copied in connection with this
petition.
`ti.
Mr. McCann: Is there anyone in the audience wishing to speak for or against this
petition? Seeing none, I will close the hearing and a motion is in order.
On a motion by Mr. Walsh, seconded by Mr. Alanskas and unanimously approved, it
was
#6-97-97 RESOLVED that, pursuant to a Public Hearing having been held on June 17,
1997 by the City Planning Commission on Petition 97-5-2-11 by Stuart
Frankel, Newburgh Plaza, requesting waiver use approval to transfer the
Class C liquor license to the proposed relocated Wing Yee Restaurant within
Newburgh Plaza located on the south side of Six Mile Road between
Newburgh Road and Fitzgerald Avenue in the Northwest 1/4 of Section 17,
the Planning Commission does hereby recommend to the City Council that
Petition 97-5-2-11 be approved for the following reasons:
1) That the proposed use complies with all of the special and general
waiver use standards and requirements as set forth in Sections 11.03
and 19.06 of the Zoning Ordinance#543;
2) That the subject site has the capacity to accommodate the proposed
use; and
3) That the proposed use is compatible to and in harmony with the
surrounding uses in the area;
4) That the granting of this petition will not increase the number of Class
C licensed establishments in the area.
FURTHER RESOLVED that, notice of the above hearing was given in
accordance with the provisions of Section 19.05 of Zoning Ordinance #543,
as amended.
Mr. Alanskas, Secretary, announced the next item on the agenda is Petition 97-5-2-12
by Stuart Frankel, Newburgh Plaza, requesting waiver use approval to
transfer SDD (packaged liquor) and SDM (packaged beer and wine) licenses
for the proposed relocated Rite Aid Drug Store within the Newburgh Plaza
located on the south side of Six Mile Road between Newburgh Road and
Fitzgerald Avenue in the NW 1/4 of Section 17.
Mr. Miller presented a map showing the property under petition plus the existing zoning
of the surrounding area.
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Mr. Nagy: We have a letter from our Engineering Department stating they have no
objections to the proposal as submitted. A letter from the Inspection
Department states the proposed location for the Rite Aid store is within
400 feet of St. Timothy's Church (16700 Newburgh) and would require a
variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals. That's signed by David
Woodcox, Sr. Building Inspector. Again, we have a similar letter from Mr.
Frankel with his regrets in not being able to attend this meeting.
Mr. McCann: The petitioner is not here. Is there anyone in the audience wishing to speak
for or against this matter? Seeing no one, I will close the Public Hearing
on the matter.
On a motion by Mrs. Blomberg, seconded by Mrs. Koons and unanimously adopted, it
was
#6-98-97 RESOLVED that pursuant to a Public Hearing having been held on June
17, 1997 by the City Planning Commission on Petition 97-5-2-12 by Stuart
Frankel, Newburgh Plaza, requesting waiver use approval to transfer SDD
and SDM licenses for the proposed relocated Rite Aid Drug Store within
the Newburgh Plaza located on the south side of Six Mile Road between
Newburgh Road and Fitzgerald Avenue in the NW 1/4 of Section 17, the
Planning Commission does hereby recommend to the City Council that
Petition 97-5-2-12 be approved for the following reasons:
1) That the proposed use complies with all of the special and general
waiver use standards and requirements as set forth in Sections
11.03 and 19.06 of the Zoning Ordinance #543;
2) That the subject site has the capacity to accommodate the proposed
use; and
3) That the granting of this petition will not increase the number of
SDD and SDM licensed facilities in the general area.
FURTHER RESOLVED that, notice of the above hearing was given in
accordance with the provisions of Section 19.05 of Zoning Ordinance
#543, as amended.
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Mr. McCann, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution
adopted.
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Mr. Alanskas, Secretary, announced the next item on the agenda is Petition 97-5-2-13 by
Stuart Frankel, Newburgh Plaza, requesting waiver use approval for an SDM
(packaged beer and wine) license for a proposed Busch's Valu Land Supermarket
to be located in the Newburgh Plaza located on the south side of Six Mile Road
between Newburgh Road and Fitzgerald Avenue in the NW 1/4 of Section 17.
Mr. Miller presented a map showing the property under petition plus the existing zoning
of the surrounding area.
Mr. Nagy: We have a letter from the Engineering Division stating they have no objections
to the waiver use proposal, and the letter from Stuart Frankel informing us that he
would be out of the country on June 17 and would like this matter postponed.
Mr. McCann: Is there anyone in the audience who wishes to speak for or against this
petition? Seeing no one, I will close the public hearing and a motion is in order.
On a motion by Mr. Alanskas, seconded by Mr. Piercecchi and unanimously approved, it
was
#6-99-97 RESOLVED that, pursuant to a Public Hearing having been held on June
17,1997 by the City Planning Commission on Petition 97-5-2-13 by Stuart
Frankel,Newburgh Plaza, requesting waiver use approval for an SDM
(packaged beer and wine) license for a proposed Busch's Valu Land
Supermarket to be located in the Newburgh Plaza located on the south side
of Six Mile Road between Newburgh Road and Fitzgerald Avenue in the
NW 1/4 of Section 17, the Planning Commission does hereby recommend
to the City Council that Petition 97-5-2-13 be approved for the following
reasons:
1) That the proposed use complies with all of the special and general
waiver use standards and requirements as set forth in Sections
11.03 and 19.06 of the Zoning Ordinance#543;
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2) That the subject site has the capacity to accommodate the proposed
use; and
3) That the proposed use is compatible to and in harmony with the
surrounding uses in the area.
FURTHER RESOLVED that, notice of the above hearing was given in
accordance with the provisions of Section 19.05 of Zoning Ordinance
#543, as amended.
Mr. McCann, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution
adopted.
Mr. Alanskas, Secretary, announced the next item on the agenda is Petition 97-5-2-14 by
Orchard, Hiltz& McCliment (on behalf of Prime Hospitality) requesting
waiver use approval to construct a hotel on property located north of
Seven Mile Road, east of Haggerty Road in the Southwest 1/4 of Section
6.
Mr. Miller presented a map showing the property under petition plus the existing zoning
of the surrounding area.
r..
John Nagy: We have a letter dated June 3, 1997 from the Assistant City Engineer
stating they see no discrepancies in the dedicated right-of-way and
furthermore, there appears to be no engineering problems with the petition.
That is signed by John P. Hill. We also have a letter from Rockney L.
Whitehead, Fire Marshal, stating they have no objection to this proposal.
We also have a letter from David Woodcox, Sr. Building Inspector, stating
that the following problems or deficiencies were found: 1) C-2 district
regulations allow for building 2 stories in height, not to exceed 35 feet in
height. The proposed building is 6 stories and approximately 69 feet in
height. Section 18.41 in Ordinance 543 has provisions for height that may
apply to this building, subject to additional setback requirements; 2) In the
south parking area, there are 14 parking spaces that are deficient in width
(9 ft.) and 52 spaces that are deficient in depth (18'). These deficiencies
would require a variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals; 3) The
proposed wall signage will require a variance from the Zoning Board of
Appeals. That's the extent of our correspondence.
Jeannette Baloni, Prime Hospitality, 700 Route 46 East, Fairfield,New Jersey: We are
proposing to construct a six-story, 128 all suites room hotel. The
AmeriSuites Hotel is a 6 story, full suites hotel. It does not contain a
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restaurant. It contains meeting rooms, an exercise area, and primarily
geared towards the traveler or the business person who needs a place to
stay, to work and conduct meetings if necessary. We don't have banquet
facilities. Our clients will then go out into the areas that we're constructing
for the services they need. We do provide a continental breakfast. We also
have an enclosed swimming pool attached to the building . We have
constructed approximately 45 of these hotels. Prime Hospitality owns and
operates approximately 145 to 150 hotels. The AmeriSuites brand is our
new concept and we've constructed one in Auburn Hills about 2 years ago,
which has been doing very well, as well as the new one in Chicago. We are
constructing 2 others in Chicago.
Mr. Alanskas: The one in Auburn Hills, how many stories is that?
Ms. Baloni: That's also 6.
Mr. Alanskas: The other 45, are there any less than 6 stories?
Ms. Baloni: We sometimes go 4 stories, but that creates a building that is a lot longer.
We haven't constructed any that are lower than 4.
Mr. Alanskas: Are the other hotels basically with a lot of dryvit on the hotel?
Ms. Baloni: Yes, this is a prototype.
Mr. Pierchecchi: I would like to be one of the first to show my gratitude for Hospitality to
come into Livonia. You made a fine choice. My observations are from a
visit to your hotel in Auburn Hills which I believe was constructed in 1996.
This is basically a carbon copy of that one, correct?
Ms. Baloni: Yes, it's a prototype.
Mr. Pierchecchi: I would like to make a few substitutions. On the base of your columns,
I suggest you use a masonry product there to avoid a problem there. There
were some chips and tears in the dryvit there, and in some of the areas you
could actually see the gauze underneath it. I found the doorways on the
east wall away from the main entrance also exhibiting chipping. Dryvit is a
fine product for certain instances, but I feel that chips and tears really take
away from an otherwise very attractive building. If it is at all possible, two
shades of tan brick would be more appropriate for a long life time facility.
Ms. Baloni: When I spoke with Mr. Nagy, he also had a concern about the pone
cochere columns on the basis of them being dryvit and suggested we revisit
that and see whether landscaping, or curbing or using something to prevent
cars from driving right up to the columns. What we had an architect do is
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on these plans show a curbing right up to the porte cochere, actually
wrapping the columns to protect them from traffic.
�... Mr. Pierchecchi: Why not just build them out of brick and solve the whole problem?
Ms. Baloni: That's an option.
Mr. Pierchecchi: Were you planning on landscaping all around the building?
Ms. Baloni: We have a landscaping plan. In front of the pone cochere we have
landscaping with brick pavers beneath. We are proposing landscaping
around the entire building. The pool is enclosed and linked to the hotel and
you can either go directly into the pool area hotel or into this landscaped
patio area which is not typical for our hotels. We thought that was a nice
addition.
Mr. Pierchecchi: So the complete perimeter of the pool area and the hotel will be
landscaped?
Ms. Baloni: Yes.
Mr. Alanskas: Of the 45, what is the oldest in years of the hotels?
Ms. Baloni: Three years.
w..
Mr. Alanskas: In that three year time, do you have any evidence that the dryvit that has
been damaged has been repaired?
Ms. Baloni: The staff at the hotel has a maintenance crew, but depending on the extent
of the damage, that would have to be outsourced. If something were to
happen to the dryvit within the life span of the warranty (a year for the
workmanship and materials I believe, 10 years), that's something the
contractor installed.
Mr. Walsh: I wanted to ask a couple of questions about your occupants. Are they
staying for an extended period of time, someone who would come in for a
month or a week?
Ms. Baloni: No, the rooms themselves are not geared for that. You have a sleeping
area and, still within the same large area, a separate seating area and a
work table and a small kitchenette. All we provide is a microwave and a
small refrigerator. The intent is not to allow someone to stay and cook and
live out of the rooms themselves for an extended period of time.
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Mr. Walsh: If I recall, the overall site plan that was presented some time ago proposed
how this area would look. There would be a lot of interconnecting
sidewalks. Would your residents be able to walk to the theatre for
"r.. instance?
Gary Jonna, Jonna Realty Ventures, 1533 North Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills:
To answer your question, yes. The integrity of the pedestrian network is
intact, and will run parallel to the frontage of that north-south drive.
Mr. Hale: To the representative from Prime. When you indicated that you would
have to revisit the issue about the columns, what do you mean by that? Do
you mean that you will go back and talk to the architects to see if it can be
accomplished? Do you think it's feasible?
Ms. Baloni: I think we can come to a mutually acceptable solution. A brick column
base is not a problem.
Mr. McCann: Is there anyone in the audience wishing to speak for or against this
petition?
Dennis Frawley, 1725 Ellen Drive, Livonia: Perhaps the community would be better
served to have a more full service type of hotel where a couple could go
and have dinner, a drink and then go to the show as opposed to something
that has more of a transient nature. It seems as if that property would be
prime property and very desirable to perhaps more traditional hotels that
do offer full restaurant facilities.
There was no one else present wishing to be heard regarding this item and Mr. McCann,
Chairman, declared the Public Hearing on Petition 97-5-2-14 closed.
On a motion by Mr. Pierchecchi, seconded by Mr. Hale and unanimously approved, it was
#6-100-97 RESOLVED that, the City Planning Commission does hereby recommend
to the City Council that Petition 97-5-2-14 by Orchard, Hiltz& McCliment
(on behalf of Prime Hospitality) requesting waiver use approval to
construct a hotel on property located north of Seven Mile Road, east of
Haggerty Road in the SW 1/4 of Section 6 be approved subject to the
following conditions:
1) That the Site Plan marked Sheet 2 dated 5/13/97 prepared by
Orchard, Hiltz& McCliment, Inc. is hereby approved and shall be
adhered to;
2) That the landscape plan dated May 23, 1997 prepared by Johnson
Johnson& Roy is hereby approved and shall be adhered to;
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3) That all disturbed lawn areas shall be sodded in lieu of hydroseeded;
N... 4) That underground sprinklers are to be provided for all landscaped
and sodded areas and all plant 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 Plans marked A-12, A-12a, A-
13 and A-13a dated 4/29/97 prepared by Dorsky Hodgson&
Partners are hereby approved and shall be adhered to;
6) That this approval does not authorize consent of any signage shown
on the plans and that all signage shall come back before the
Planning Commission and City Council for their review and
approval;
7) That the interior columns supporting the porte cochere shall be
constructed of a masonry material such as brick.
For the following reasons:
1) That the proposed use complies with all of the special and general
waiver use standards and requirements as set forth in Section 11.03
r.. and 19.06 of the Zoning Ordinance#543;
2) That the subject site has the capacity to accommodate the proposed
use;
3) That the proposed use is compatible to and in harmony with the
surrounding uses in the area.
FURTHER RESOLVED that, notice of the above hearing was given in
accordance with the provisions of Section 19.05 of Zoning Ordinance
#543, as amended.
Mr. McCann, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution
adopted.
Mr. Walsh: I did some research on the need for this kind of hotel and called several
managers in the area and the fact is we do have sufficient full service hotel
capacity. The two restaurants near the theatre there would provide the
dining for the residents. From what I can determine, they do want a
facility like this, so I will be voting for it.
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Mr. Alanskas, Secretary, announced the next item on the agenda is Preliminary Plat
approval for Jacol Subdivision proposed to be located on the north side of
Six Mile Road, east of Laurel Drive in the Southwest 1/4 of Section 9.
Mr. Miller presented a map showing the property under petition plus the existing zoning
of the surrounding area.
Mr. Nagy: The Traffic Bureau in their letter of May 21, 1997 states they have no
objection to the site plan as submitted, and that was signed by John B.
Gibbs. The Fire Marshal's letter of May 21 subjecting the referenced
petition indicates they have no objection to the development of this
subdivision, signed by Rockney Whitehead. A letter by Ronald Reinke,
Superintendent of the Department of Parks and Recreation states they have
no discrepancies or problems with this project as submitted. That's the
extent of our correspondence.
Mr. McCann: Is the petitioner in the audience this evening?
Dan DiComo, 17800 Newburgh Road, Livonia: What you see in the drawings in front of
you are the culmination of a few years of work that we have put into trying
to develop this property in conjunction with the Grand River Baptist
Church, the Livonia School Board and school administration, and also the
1--� neighbors who abut this proposal. We have met over the years on different
size projects and different access. What we have come up with seems to
address it as well as can be. We have addressed the concerns from the
neighbors to make sure the dead-end of Vargo stays as a dead-end and is
not connected to any more homes, and also can never be connected to any
of the school property, and also to allow Grand River Baptist Church to
sell and develop their property. In conjunction with that, the Livonia
School Board and school administration viewed the proposals and this
meets with their approval in the sense that they have also agreed to sell
their portion of the property which is north of the dark black lines.
Mrs. Koons: North of the dark black lines, the property that abuts Stevenson High
School property, is that a football field behind there?
Mr. DiComo: The football field is actually north of the property that would be purchased.
It's a practice football field actually. It actually takes to the extent up to
the dark line just below where the PL is, and the actual football field itself
is where the PL is and north of that.
Mrs. Koons: Do you have any plans to separate the two areas, the school property and
the new subdivision?
Mr. DiComo: At this point in time, the school board has allowed us to have only enough
property to develop this roadway and it would only allow enough room for
15589
the City right-of-way. If you look at the east side of the property where
you have the furthest easterly lot, on the site plan we do have a berm and
some trees and new fencing. As I said at this point, in time the School
Board has not allowed us to purchase any property where we could do any
landscaping north of the proposed route.
Mrs. Koons: So students on the practice field would be barred by a fence from coming
on to the road to catch a football?
Mr. DiComo: There's approximately 50' from what would be the north boundary of the
road right-of-way and the practice field. There are no plans at this time to
buffer or berm the practice football field besides maybe a fence.
Mr. McCann: Is there anyone in the audience wishing to speak for or against this
petition?
Stan Samsel, 17448 Laurel, Livonia, which is in the subdivision abutting this development.
One of my main concerns is that I realize it is going to be about the same
size of lots and home sizes as ours. The thing that I would like to address
is to make sure that the first level of all homes are brick on all four sides so
that it conforms with the area.
Mr. McCann: I don't think we can control that in the site plan.
Mr. Samsel: I think that can be made part of the plan, is that not true?
Mr. Nagy: I think we can ask the proprietor of the subdivision in his deed restrictions
and covenants and agreements if he intends to incorporate anything along
those lines with respect to the appearance of the property.
Mr. DiComo: Obviously when we come back for final plat approval we will have
subdivision standards which will be available and at this point in time we
would want all of the first level of the homes to be brick. We plan on being
fairly restrictive so that it's in keeping with the two neighborhoods to the
west.
David Carew, 348 Evelyn: My main concern with this project is that my lot will open up
to Stevenson's parking lot and I want to make sure that when this home is
built on lot 7 individually, he will not be tied into this. Originally they
wanted to propose that for a raceway for the Stevenson kids to come out
of.
Mr. McCann: Sir, I guarantee you that he will want to sell that land. If they have a lot
there, they will want to get their money out of it. Mr. DiComo, can you
answer that?
15590
Mr. DiComo: It is proposed to be split into a lot so there would be no way that it could
be developed into a roadway. It will be split and sold.
There was no one else wishing to speak regarding this item and Mr. McCann, Chairman,
declared the Public Hearing on the Preliminary Plat for Jacol Subdivision closed.
On a motion by Mr. Walsh, seconded by Mrs. Blomberg and unanimously approved, it
was
#6-101-97 RESOLVED that, pursuant to a Public Hearing having been held by the
City Planning Commission on June 17, 1997 on Preliminary Plat approval
for Jacol Subdivision proposed to be located on the north side of Six Mile
Road, east of Laurel Drive in the SW 1/4 of Section 9, the City Planing
Commission does hereby recommend to the City Council that the
Preliminary Plat for Jacol Subdivision be approved subject to a variance
being granted by the Zoning Board of Appeals to allow up to a fifty foot
extension of a less restrictive use into a more restrictive zoning district and
to the following additional conditions:
1) That the petitioner shall submit a landscape plan for the required
greenbelt easement along Lot 1 adjacent to Six Mile Road and a
plan for the required entrance marker to the Planning Commission
for approval prior to the submittal of the Final Plat;
2) That the requirement for dedication of open space equal to 720
square feet per lot as set forth in the Subdivision Rules and
Regulations be waived because of the extensive amount of open
space currently available in the area.
For the following reasons:
1) That the proposed Preliminary Plat complies with all of the
applicable standards and requirements as set forth in the Zoning
Ordinance #543 and the Subdivision Rules and Regulations;
2) That the Preliminary Plat represents a good land use solution to the
subject property, and
3) That no reporting City Department has objected to the approval of
the Preliminary Plat.
FURTHER RESOLVED that, notice of the above hearing was sent to the
abutting property owners, proprietor, City Departments as listed in the
Proof of Service, and copies of the plat together with the notices have been
15591
sent to the Building Department, Superintendent of Schools, Fire
Department, Police Department, and the Parks and Recreation Department.
Mr. McCann, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution
adopted.
Mr. Alanskas, Secretary, announced the next item on the agenda is Preliminary Plat
approval for Kingston Village Subdivision proposed to be located on the east side
of Newburgh Road between Joy Road and Ann Arbor Trail in the SW 1/4 of
Section 32.
Mr. Miller presented a map showing the property under petition plus the existing zoning
of the surrounding area.
Mr. Nagy: We have a letter from Ronald Reinke, Superintendent of the Department of
Parks and Recreation, dated June 4, 1997 stating he has reviewed the
preliminary plat for the proposed Kingston Village Subdivision and finds no
discrepancies or problems with this project as submitted. We also have a
letter from Rockney Whitehead, Fire Marshal, referencing the Kingston
Village Subdivision, and indicates they have no objection to the
development of this subdivision, however, they have hydrant locations on
the west side of Newburgh and they are requesting hydrants be located
along the proposed Devonshire Road east of Newburgh.
Mr. McCann: Is the petitioner here this evening?
Danny Veri, 18442 Van Road, Livonia: The only thing I would like to add, I'm sure the
question is going to come up, on why the jog in the property to the north.
Just recently I have purchased the two parcels north from the City to tie it
all together. We have been in contact with the lady to the north to see if
we can work something out with her, and that is why that balance beyond
the City parcels we acquired is still in our possession so that we have the
right-of-way area needed to extend up into her 2.4 acres.
Mr. Pierchecchi: I understood you to say that you purchased 740a and 740b. That will
not be a part of this plot here?
Mr. Veri: No, they won't due to the time factor. Just two weeks ago it was
approved by the Council.. Two lots will face Newburgh and the other will
have a side drive unto Devonshire.
Mr. McCann: Is there anyone in the audience wishing to speak for or against this
petition?
Joseph Seog, 36906 Ann Arbor Trail: On behalf of Angeline Rousseau, which is right
across the street at 36905 Ann Arbor Trail, and it is her property that abuts
15592
into this Kingston Subdivision. I'm here on her behalf to find out if they
are going to put a fence up because there is 400' back there that buts up to
the subdivision. She doesn't object to the subdivision going in. She is all
` alone there and she doesn't want too many people going through her
property to go to Ann Arbor Trail.
Mr. Nagy: There is no requirement for installing a fence, but you could ask the
proprietor if he intends to put up a fence.
Mr. Veri: Right now we don't have any intention of putting up a fence. Her house
sits really far up Ann Arbor Trail. I walked the area back there and there
are a lot of trees back there. I don't intend to put a fence up unless the
Commission really feels there is a need for it.
There was no one else present wishing to be heard regarding this item and Mr. McCann,
Chairman, declared the Public Hearing on the Preliminary Plat approval for Kingston
Village Subdivision closed.
On a motion duly made by Mrs. Blomberg, seconded by Mr. Walsh and adopted, it was
#6-102-97 RESOLVED that, pursuant to a Public Hearing having been held by the
City Planning Commission on June 17, 1997 on Preliminary Plat approval
for Kingston Village Subdivision proposed to be located on the east side of
Newburgh Road between Joy Road and Ann Arbor Trail in the SW 1/4 of
Section 32, the City Planning Commission does hereby recommend to the
City Council that the Preliminary Plat for Kingston Village Subdivision be
approved subject to the granting of a variance by the Zoning Board of
Appeals relative to a deficient lot width (Lot 1) and to the following
additional conditions:
1) That the landscape greenbelt plan marked Sheet 1 dated 6/11/97
prepared by Palmer Development is hereby approved and shall be
adhered to;
2) That the requirement for dedication of 720 square feet of open
space per lot as set forth in the Subdivision Rules and Regulations
be waived because of the vast amount of open space provided by
the School District in the area; and
3) That the use of a 50 foot road right-of-way and a 55 foot cul-de-sac
radius be permitted for development of the proposed subdivision
street by the City Council in lieu of the required 60 foot road right-
of-way and 60 foot cul-de-sac radius.
For the following reasons:
15593
1) That the proposed Preliminary Plat complies with all of the
applicable standards and requirements as set forth in the Zoning
Ordinance#543 (as modified by the Zoning Board of Appeals) and
to the Subdivision Rules and Regulations;
2) That the Preliminary Plat represents a good land use solution to the
development of a small parcel of land; and
3) That no reporting City Department has objected to the approval of
the Preliminary Plat.
FURTHER RESOLVED that, notice of the above hearing was sent to the
abutting property owners, proprietor, City Departments as listed in the Proof
of Service, and copies of the plat together with the notices have been sent to
the Building Department, Superintendent of Schools, Fire Department, Police
Department, and the Parks and Recreation Department.
A roll call on the foregoing resolution resulted in the following:
AYES: Blomberg, Piercecchi, Walsh, Hale, Koons, McCann
NAYS: Alanskas
ABSENT: None
Mr. McCann, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution
adopted.
Mr. McCann, Chairman, announced that the public hearing portion of the meeting is
concluded and the Commission would proceed with items pending before it.
Mr. Alanskas, Secretary announced the next item on the agenda is approval of the minutes
of the 744th Regular Meeting held on June 3, 1997.
On a motion by Mr. Alanskas, seconded by Mrs. Koons, it was
#6-103-97 RESOLVED that, the minutes of the 744th Regular Meeting held on June
3, 1997 are approved.
A roll call vote on the foregoing resolution resulted in the following:
AYES: Alanskas, Piercecchi, Walsh, Hale, Koons, McCann
NAYS: None
ABSENT: Blomberg
15594
Mr. McCann, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution
adopted.
',saw Mr. Alanskas, announced the next item on the agenda is Petition 95-11-1-28 by Ventura
Properties, Inc. requesting to rezone property located on the east side of
Newburgh Road between Five Mile and Ladywood roads in the SW 1/4 of Section
17 from R-2A to OS.
Mr. McCann: This is a housekeeping matter as we now have a new petition pending
before us from the property owners, therefore a motion we need a motion to
remove it from the table.
On a motion by Mr. Walsh, seconded by Mrs. Blomberg and unanimously approved, it
was
#6-104-97 RESOLVED that, Petition 95-11-1-28 by Ventura Properties, Inc.
requesting to rezone property located on the east side of Newburgh Road
between Five Mile and Ladywood Roads in the SW 1/4 of Section 17 from
R-2A to OS be taken from the table.
Mr. McCann, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution
adopted.
On a motion by Mrs. Koons, seconded by Mr. Walsh and unanimously approved, it was
#6-105-97 RESOLVED that, the Planning Commission determines to take no further
action with respect to Petition 95-11-1-28 by Ventura Properties, Inc.
requesting to rezone property located on the east side of Newburgh Road
between Five Mile and Ladywood Roads in the SW 1/4 of Section 17 from
R-2A to OS.
Mr. McCann, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution
adopted.
Mr. Alanskas, Secretary, announced the next item on the agenda is Petition 97-5-8-14 by
Joseph Philips, Architects, on behalf of Rosedale Gardens Presbyterian
Church, requesting approval of all plans required by Section 18.58 of the
Zoning Ordinance in connection with a proposal to construct a narthex
addition to the church located at 9601 Hubbard Road in the Northwest 1/4
of Section 34.
Mr. Miller: This area is located on the north side of W. Chicago between Hubbard
Road and Fairfield Avenue. The petitioner is requesting approval to
construct a 1,885 sq. ft. enclosed entranceway to the corner of the existing
church. The church is presently 18,225 sq. ft. in size. If this addition is
15595
approved and constructed, the entire structure would become 20,110 sq. ft.
The minimum required front yard setback in R-1 zoning district is 25 ft.
The church is nonconforming because it only sets back 9' from the front
property line and they had to obtain a variance from the Zoning Board of
Appeals prior to being presented to the Planning Commission. Parking for
a church is based on the number of seats it has in its main assembly area.
Since this new addition does not affect or add to this church's main
assembly seating, no additional parking would be required. The exterior
building elevation of the narthex would be constructed out of brick to
match the existing church and the petitioner has stated that the design and
construction materials would blend in completely with the existing church.
Mr. McCann: We told the petitioner he would not have to attend tonight's meeting
because after reviewing it, we found no problems with it. Is there a
motion?
On a motion by Mrs. Koons, seconded by Mrs. Blomberg and unanimously approved, it
was
#6-106-97 RESOLVED that, the City Planning Commission does hereby recommend
to the City Council that Petition 97-5-8-14 by Joseph Philips, Architects,
on behalf of Rosedale Gardens Presbyterian Church, requesting approval of
all plans required by Section 18.58 of the Zoning Ordinance in connection
with a proposal to construct a narthex addition to the church located at
Nu, 9601 Hubbard Road in the Northwest 1/4 of Section 34 be approved
subject to the following conditions:
1) That the Site Plan marked Sheet P-1 dated 5/12/97, as revised,
prepared by Joseph Philips, Architect, is hereby approved and shall
be adhered to;
2) That the Exterior Building Elevation Plan marked Sheet P-2 dated
6/2/97 prepared by Joseph Philips, Architect, is hereby approved
and shall be adhered to;
3) That the building materials of the new addition shall match the
building materials of the existing church so that upon completion
the entire structure shall look like it was constructed at one time.
Mr. McCann, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution
adopted.
Mr. Alanskas, Secretary, announced the next item on the agenda is Petition 97-6-8-16 by
Martin Luther Memorial Home, Inc., on behalf of Lutheran Heritage Village,
requesting approval of all plans required by Section 18.47 of the Zoning Ordinance
15596
in connection with a proposal to construct housing for the elderly on property
located at 14871 Farmington Road in the Northeast 1/4 of Section 21.
Mr. Miller: This property is located on the west side of Farmington Road between Five
Mile Road and Lyndon Avenue. It is currently split zoned OS, office
services, and R-91, housing for the elderly. To the north you have the
Board of Education building, to the west is the Parkview Memorial
Cemetery and to the south is the senior housing development Silver
Village. This development would consist of two buildings, one would be
three stories in height and 185,460 sq. ft. in total area and utilized for
independent living apartments. The other building would be located behind
the apartment building in the OS zoning and would be one story high. This
building would be 36,500 sq. ft. in size and would operate as a nursing
home. The two buildings would be connected by a single corridor.
Accessibility to the site would be by a single drive off Farmington Road.
The parking requirements for the nursing home is 62 spaces and they have
70 spaces. The parking requirements for the apartments is 132 spaces and
they provide 162 spaces, 132 in an underground parking structure located
underneath the building. The landscaping plan shows substantial
landscaping throughout the complex. Evergreen trees and the existing
woods would buffer the entrance drive from the abutting houses. The
landscaping requirement is 15% and they show landscaping of 42% of the
site. One change on the site plan from our Study Meeting, the Fire
Marshal requested the driveway area be connected to the proposed
deadend driveway area on the north side of the proposed three story
apartment building to create a loop drive around the entire complex to
facilitate fire tactics, and the developer has submitted a new site plan
showing this loop drive. The elevation plan shows the three story
apartment building showing all four sides with brick and glass dormers and
an asphalt shingled roof. The one story nursing home would also be a
combination brick and vinyl siding with an asphalt shingled roof. The
extended out areas would be constructed out of brick and the indented
areas and the entire rear elevation would be vinyl siding. The site plan
shows a ground sign which is in excess of what is allowed by the sign
ordinance. The petitioner would have to be granted a variance form the
Zoning board of Appeals. and come back for approval.
Mr. Nagy: The Building Inspector in his letter of June 16 notes that 1) All lighting
abutting the existing residential areas should be shielded or reflected away
from such areas, and 2) The proposed ground sign will require a variance
from the Zoning Board of Appeals. There is a letter from our Engineering
Department dated June 10 as follows: "Pursuant to your request, this
department has reviewed the proposed site plans. Not enough information
regarding the proposed outlet of utilities is given to approve the plans at
this time. Sanitary sewers are available on the west side of Farmington
15597
Road in the Wayne County right-of-way. Storm sewers and water main
are available in the median and on the east side of Farmington Road
respectively, both within the Wayne County right-of-way. Wayne County
must also approve drive approach location and geometry before plan
approval." That is signed by David Lear, Civil Engineer I. The letter from
Fire Marshal Rockney Whitehead of June 11 reads: This Division has no
objection to this proposal. However, should emergency vehicles respond
to the northeast corner of the nursing home, no means exist for turning
vehicles around. The loading dock may not be accessible. Therefore, this
Division is requesting the driveway area be connected to the proposed dead
end driveway area on the north side of the proposed 3 story apartment
buildings. This would create a lop drive around the entire complex and
better facilitate fire tactics, hydrant access and not backing up vehicles for
extended distances (approximately 700 ft.) Further, the drive in its entirety
will be designated as a fire lane and posted per City ordinance enclosed.
Hydrants will be provided and conform to distances required between
hydrants for residential districts. A hydrant shall be located a minimum of
50 ft. and a maximum 100 ft. to any FDC (Fire Department Connection).
That's the extent of our correspondence.
Mr. Piercecchi: Did I understand that the three story building would be entirely out of
brick?
Mr. Miller: That is correct.
Mr. McCann: We will now go directly to the petitioner.
Petitioner: I just wanted to clarify the brick issue because I get that one confused. The
front building that is closest to Farmington Road is the apartment complex.
The unlicensed building will be totally brick. The skilled nursing, which is
behind that, will be brick on all of the out props with the only exception
being these little interior areas and this courtyard inside. The rotunda will
be brick though.
Mr. Hale: How so you address the funding issues?
Petitioner: We are already fully funded and the money is in the bank.
Mr. Hale: Weren't there going to be additional issues as the result of the fact that you
were going to build it all of brick and you were going to do something to the rear
building as well that would generate some additional costs?
We are building in phases. The first phase which is a certificate of need 72 bed
skilled nursing center and all financing is done.
15598
Mr. McCann: If there are no other questions, a motion is in order.
On a motion by Mr. Piercecchi, seconded by Mr. Hale and unanimously approved, it was
#6-107-97 RESOLVED that, the City Planning Commission does hereby recommend
to the City Council that Petition 97-6-8-16 by Martin Luther Home, Inc.,
on behalf of Lutheran Heritage Village, requesting approval of all plans
required by Section 18.47 of the Zoning Ordinance in connection with a
proposal to construct housing for he elderly on property located at 14871
Farmington Road in the Northeast 1/4 of Section 21 be approved subject to
the following conditions:
1) That the Site Plan marked Sheet SP-1 dated 6/3/97 prepared by
Edmund London & Associates, Inc., is hereby approved and shall
be adhered to;
2) That the Landscape Plan marked Sheet LP-1 dated 5/28/97
prepared by Edmund London & Associates, Inc., is hereby
approved and shall be adhered to;
3) That all disturbed lawn areas shall be sodded in lieu of hydroseeded;
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 for the nursing home
marked Sheet SP-3 dated 6/3/97 prepared by Edmund London&
Associates, Inc., is hereby approved and shall be adhered to;
6) That the Exterior Building Elevation Plan for the independent
apartments marked Sheet SP-5 dated 6/2/97 prepared by Edmund
London& Associates, Inc., is hereby approved and shall be adhered
to;
7) That this approval does not authorize consent of any signage shown
on the plans and that all signage shall come back before the
Planning Commission and the City Council for their review and
approval.
Mr. McCann, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution
adopted.
15599
Mr. Alanskas, Secretary, announced the last item on the agenda is Revision to Petition 96-
9-2-26 by Lutheran Homes of Michigan requesting approval of a landscape plan
and to revise the elevation plan that received approval with this petition for the
'4` property located at 28910 Plymouth Road in the Southwest 1/4 of Section 25.
Mr. Miller: This site is located on the north side of Plymouth Road between Middlebelt
Road and Camden Avenue. When they received waiver use approval, part
of the conditions of that approval was that was that they come back before
Planning Commission with a landscape plan. The landscaping plan that
they have submitted shows significant landscaping around the edge
abutting the residential and offering a nice buffer from the residential. The
landscaping required is 15% and they show landscaping of 35% of the site.
Also tonight, they are requesting approval to revise their elevation plans
that were approved during waiver use approval. The new plans are of a
more residential look.
Mr. Nagy: We have no correspondence in connection with these revisions.
Petitioner: The entire base of the facility will have a brick wainscot which will be a
harmonious color with a stone or precast band of concrete above that to
separate that from the higher portion of the building. The brick band
comes all the way to the other side of the windows in a harmonious color.
On all of the projections out that will also be brick all the way to this roof
line. We'll be using a brick with some other contrasting colors to it. All of
the portions of the building that are approximately 3' back would be vinyl
siding above that brick and stone in order to create that residential flavor to
break up the facade elevation. The shingle is selected to provide a variety
of colors to harmonize with both the brick and with the shingles on all the
adjoining residences to try and give some of that variety that actually
happens within a neighborhood. All of the windows and doors then would
be painted white.
Mr. Alanskas: The shingles are not a shaker roof, is it? It looks three dimensional in the
drawing..
Petitioner: It has some of that three dimensional look, the shade factor built into it is
to give that indication.
Mr. Alanskas: I know the property has been cleared. When do you plan to start building,
and when will completion come?
Petitioner: We anticipate receiving final State approvals through the licensing process
hopefully in early August. We anticipate about 12 to 14 months of
construction time depending on weather and on how favorable that is. Our
target is to open in Fall of 1998.
15600
Mr. McCann: If there are no further comments or questions, a motion is in order.
On a motion duly made by Mr. Hale, seconded by Mr. Walsh and unanimously approved,
it was
#6-108-97 RESOLVED that, the City Planning Commission does hereby recommend
to the City Council that the Revision to Petition 96-9-2-26 by Lutheran
Homes of Michigan requesting approval of a landscape plan and to revise
the elevation plan that received approval with this petition for the property
located at 28910 Plymouth Road in the Southwest 1/4 of Section 25 be
approved subject to the following conditions:
1) That the Landscape Plan marked Sheet 1 dated 7/3/97 prepared by
SSOE Studios Architecture is hereby approved and shall be adhered
to;
2) That the revised Exterior Building Elevation Plans marked Drawing
#A5.1 dated 6/2/97 prepared by SSOE Studios Architecture, is
hereby approved and shall be adhered to, and shall supersede the
approval as set forth in Planning Commission resolution#10-189-
96.
Mr. McCann, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution
adopted.
On a motion duly made, seconded and unanimously adopted, the 745th Regular Meeting
and Public Hearings held on June 17, 1997 was adjourned at 9:20 p.m.
CITY PLANNING COMMISSION
Robert Alanskas, Secretary
ATTEST:
James C. McCann, Chairman
du