Planning commission approves generator at Francines Medical dialysis clinic after noise and fuel questions

The Warren City Planning Commission on Aug. 25 approved a minor-site-plan amendment allowing a diesel standby generator and related landscape changes at the Francines Medical dialysis building at 30300 Hoover Road.

The commission’s approval followed detailed questions from commissioners about the generator’s fuel type, noise levels, refueling plan and fire‑department access. Planning staff had recommended standard conditions, and the commission voted to approve the amendment by roll call.

Why it matters: The dialysis center said continuous power is essential for patient care during outages. Commissioners pressed to ensure the generator would not become a nuisance and that emergency refueling and fire‑department access measures were in place.

Petitioners and planning staff - Edward Mancini, representing MC Portfolio LLC, said the center wants the generator so dialysis treatments can continue during outages. “It’s a diesel generator with an automatic transfer switch that when the utility power is interrupted, within 6 seconds, it rolls over, and starts on generator power,” Mancini told the commission. - Milko Moknev, regional technical operations manager for the clinic network, told the commission the facility has a fuel‑resupply arrangement with a vendor (USA National) to deliver diesel if outages exceed the generator’s onboard capacity. “We can submit the plan, contact information, and how everything works to support that and refuel when the patients are not dialyzing,” Moknev said. - Planning Director Ron Wirth read conditions and correspondence from public safety and utilities, noting the fire department requested a Knox‑type lockbox for fire access to the enclosed generator area.

Key technical details discussed - Fuel and runtime: The petitioner said the installed tank holds about 215–216 gallons of diesel, which the petitioner estimated will supply roughly 24 hours of operation. Moknev said the vendor is contacted when level indicators drop (typically at about 50% capacity) and that staff can schedule refueling during non‑treatment hours. - Noise: The petitioner provided sound data and said the generator would be housed in a sound enclosure. The petitioner stated the noise rating is about 68 dB at 23 feet; commissioners noted sound decreases with distance and that the enclosure and programming of exercise cycles can reduce neighborhood disturbance. - Operations: The generator includes an automatic transfer switch; the petitioner said monthly exercise runs are planned and staff can schedule those at low‑impact times.

Vote and next steps Commissioner Duzay moved to approve the minor amendment, seconded by Commissioner Choudhury. The motion passed by roll call; commissioners voting in favor included Duzay, Choudhury, Ansar, Hawley, Hollowady, Hogg, Moriwo, Bonacki, and Smith (full roll call was read on the record). Planning staff will require the petitioner to submit the revised site plan copies and to comply with the standard planning conditions (dimensions, notes, and required variances listed in the staff recommendation), and the fire department’s access/knock‑box requirement before release to the building division.

The commission’s approval included the planning staff’s list of required plan revisions and noted that any necessary variances (for parking setbacks or other deviations identified in prior approvals) must be documented on resubmitted plans.