Warren planning commission postpones Sheetz site plan after community safety and traffic concerns

The Warren City Planning Commission postponed action on a site plan for a proposed Sheetz gas station and convenience store at the northeast corner of 12 Mile Road and DeQuindre Road, voting to continue the item to the commission’s June 16 meeting so members can review a traffic study and allow more outreach with neighbors.

Planning Director Ron Worth presented staff’s recommendation to approve the site plan with a long list of standard and site-specific conditions, including revised site plan sheets, sidewalk and landscape improvements, a required Macomb County Department of Roads permit for work in the rights-of-way, variances that may be required from the Zoning Board of Appeals, and a performance bond (staff estimated $237,000 based on an estimated project cost of $7.9 million).

The project drew more than a dozen members of the public and several written protests, including a letter read into the record by John C. Bernia, superintendent of Warren Consolidated Schools: “the dangers associated with the proposal far outweigh the need for it,” Bernia wrote, citing proximity to Warren Mott High School and nearby bus stops and expressing concerns about hours of operation and sales of alcohol, tobacco and vape products.

Speakers at the public hearing described heavy traffic at the intersection, worries about late-night activity at a 24-hour facility, environmental risks from underground storage tanks, and the potential economic impact on existing small businesses. Sharkey Haddad, executive of the Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce, asked the commission to require a traffic study and to consider tabling the item until a full commission was present. Multiple speakers asked that the petitioner meet directly with neighbors and school officials before the commission acts.

Sheetz representatives described the development as a 1.77-acre site with a roughly 6,132-square-foot convenience store and restaurant, seven fuel pumps and high-quality, four-sided architecture. The company said it conducts internal environmental and safety programs for underground storage tanks and security systems for stores. A Sheetz representative told commissioners the company conducts traffic and “cannibalization” studies when planning locations and said the chain makes efforts to hire locally; when asked about hours, Sheetz staff confirmed the restaurant and store operation would be 24 hours per day.

Commissioners debated whether they had sufficient information to decide. Some said they had not seen the traffic study referenced by the petitioner and that affected their ability to evaluate safety and access. After discussion, Commissioner Mori moved to postpone the item until the commission could review the traffic study; Commissioner Chaudhry seconded the motion. The commission approved the postponement and set the item for the June 16 meeting.

Planning staff and the petitioner also discussed a Macomb County Department of Roads comment that likely will remove one of the proposed access points on DeQuindre Road, leaving one access on 12 Mile Road and one on DeQuindre Road located farther from the intersection; the petitioner said they are willing to work with the county on that change.

The postponement leaves staff recommendations, requested variances, and the petitioners’ engineering and traffic materials to be updated and reviewed before the commission’s next hearing. Commissioners asked the petitioner to schedule a community meeting and to provide the traffic study to planning staff for distribution to the commission before June 16.

Looking ahead, the commission will consider the traffic study, any updated access plan from the Macomb County Department of Roads, the petitioner’s responses to staff conditions (sidewalk and landscape changes, lighting limits, and required recorded access or easement documents if adjacent parcels remain separate), and any further correspondence from school or neighborhood stakeholders.