Livonia council studies Sheetz site plan after ZBA granted variances; vote set for Oct. 20

Livonia City Council members spent the bulk of their Oct. 6 study session reviewing a site plan for a proposed Sheetz gasoline service station, carryout restaurant and drive-through at the southeast corner of Newberg Road and 8 Mile Road. The planning commission approved a final site plan on Sept. 16; the zoning board of appeals granted use variances on May 6, 2025. Council did not vote on the site plan at the study meeting; a formal vote is scheduled for the Oct. 20 regular meeting.

The proposal calls for demolition of a two-story commercial building and construction of a one-story, roughly 6,139-square-foot building on about 1.83 acres. Plans submitted by the petitioner show six fueling dispensers in a canopy on the north portion of the site, a drive-through lane wrapping the west and south sides of the building, an outdoor patio with roughly 16 seats on the east side and about 47 parking spaces overall. Engineering materials show an underground stormwater detention system and a retaining wall along the south side that could reach about 14 feet at its highest point.

Planning staff told council the property has been zoned C-1 (local business) since 1978 and used commercially for decades. The petitioner appealed council’s previous denial of rezoning to the zoning board of appeals (ZBA); the ZBA granted use variances for a gasoline station, convenience/carryout and drive-through, enabling the use without rezoning to C-2 (general business). Council…