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 members and staff clarified that council’s role at this meeting is a technical site-plan review: whether the plan conforms to the zoning ordinance and site-plan standards, not whether the use itself is allowed.

Councilors pressed staff and the petitioner on traffic and pedestrian connections, stormwater and environmental protections, canopy and site lighting, hours of operation, and queuing for the drive-through. City staff said Newberg Road is under city jurisdiction and 8 Mile is under Wayne County; the submitted traffic study was reviewed by the city’s traffic bureau and submitted to Wayne County. The petitioner said their traffic study recommends signal timing and timing adjustments they would coordinate and pay for, and that they will work with city engineers if the city’s review identifies a need to restrict turn movements at peak times.

On environmental safeguards and fuel systems, the petitioner’s representative, Alex Sawicki of Sheetz, said the company has modern double‑walled fiberglass tanks, interstitial monitoring, pressure and inventory monitoring that can automatically shut systems down, company-trained maintenance staff available 24/7, and that the fuel tanks and dispensers are located on the north side of the site (away from a creek and wetlands to the south). He said Sheetz has done site walks with EGLE (Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy) and will seek necessary permits in the engineering phase.

Residents and attorneys objected to the site and to how the ZBA handled public notice and variance findings. Attorney Ali Barrow and several residents said the ZBA notice did not specify the carryout restaurant and drive-through that later appeared in the variance and argued the ZBA did not meet statutory variance criteria, citing the Michigan Zoning Enabling Act and Livonia ordinances. Several residents also raised proximity to Greenmead and Whispering Willows park/golf facilities, traffic-safety concerns, nighttime illumination and environmental risks to a nearby stream and the Bell Branch of the Rouge River. Friends of the Rouge submitted water-quality data showing chloride and water-quality concerns in the watershed below the site.

Council members proposed options to be offered at the Oct. 20 regular meeting: approval, denial, or referral to committee/committee of the whole. Several council members said they would consider site-plan stipulations — for example, restricted or clarified canopy illumination — but cautioned that limitations such as hours of operation may be subject to legal challenge because the ZBA had already authorized the use and the property’s zoning as applied. Planning staff and the city attorney said they would research the city’s authority to limit hours as a condition of site-plan approval.

The petitioner told council the proposed store would be 24/7 if built; councilors and residents debated whether the city could legally restrict hours and whether such a restriction would survive legal challenge. The petitioner said they do not intend to sell alcohol at the location and that the site is not large enough to serve as a truck stop.

Council did not take a final vote on the site plan at the study session. The council president said the administration will draft proposed motion language and potential conditions for the Oct. 20 regular meeting, when members may vote to approve, deny or send the matter to committee.

The council asked staff to supply clarifying information before the vote, including: the exact distances to Greenmead and Whispering Willows park/golf facilities; the ZBA notice and resolution; the ZBA attendance and vote count; and legal analysis of whether the city can lawfully restrict store hours as a condition of site-plan approval. The petitioner said it will provide final engineering and permit materials during the next review stage.

What’s next: Council scheduled a formal vote on the site plan for its Oct. 20 regular meeting. Town residents said they intend to continue public outreach and legal review; some indicated they are pursuing court remedies regarding the ZBA decision.

Ending: The Sheetz site plan dominated the Oct. 6 study session and drew the largest public turnout; council members signaled they will weigh technical site-plan compliance, traffic and stormwater mitigation, lighting and aesthetic conditions and legal constraints before the Oct. 20 vote.