Planning commission approves West Shore Golf cart-storage building with landscaping and drainage conditions

The Grosse Ile Township Planning Commission voted to approve a revised site plan for a new accessory building at West Shore Golf and Country Club, provided the applicant meets engineering, fire marshal and landscaping conditions and addresses drainage concerns raised by neighbors.

The building proposal — a 120-by-64-foot structure to house golf-cart storage, bag storage, a small office and golf-simulator bays — drew discussion over parking, stormwater control, screening and the location of the structure relative to adjacent homes. Planning staff said the applicant revised the plan after an earlier meeting and had added architectural details, resited the building slightly to meet buffer requirements and shown conceptual drainage that will be finalized by engineers.

Brian, township planning staff, told the commission the revised submittal pushed the building 8 feet to the south, supplied the 20-foot buffer and added required mixings of evergreen and deciduous plantings and shrubs. "Based on my review of the revised submittal, I did find that they've addressed the comments put forth by the commission," Brian said, while recommending final engineering and fire marshal review be conditions of approval.

Robert Howie, the project architect for West Shore, said the project team attempted to include a berm but was constrained by planting requirements and drainage routing. "With the amount of landscaping you can see there ... we just couldn't get the berm in there," Howie said, adding that the side of the new building would serve as additional screening and that the team will provide irrigation for the new plantings.

Nearby resident Dr. Lutzak urged stricter drainage controls and more robust plantings. Lutzak said photos show flooding on her property and asked for a plan that includes multiple 12-inch catch basins between the elevated tee box and her home and five additional catch basins between the building and her house, plus 15 pine trees to replace deteriorating screening. "I am asking for a drainage plan that prevents this," Lutzak said, and requested the building be moved farther south where parking and other laydown areas exist.

Commissioners and staff responded that final stormwater design is the township engineer's responsibility and will be reviewed with Hennessy engineers, the applicant's civil engineer. Joe Wilson, general manager of West Shore, said the club uses electric carts and anticipates normal operating hours of about 7 a.m. until roughly dusk. "They are electric golf carts, so they are very, very quiet," Wilson said.

The commission's motion to approve included specific conditions: final review and approval by the township engineer and the fire marshal; waiver of the buffer-area wall/berm/fence requirement under Section 13.3(j) in favor of the proposed 20-foot landscaped buffer; and allowance for existing evergreen screening to satisfy the parking‑lot masonry‑wall requirement in Section 13.3(f) provided those trees are in healthy condition and replaced if not. The motion also called for particular attention to drainage on the north side of the building and to the east during engineering review. The motion, made by Commissioner Jay and seconded with support, carried unanimously.

Commission discussion also covered plant species and maintenance. Commissioners asked the club to prefer deer-resistant varieties (staff suggested Green Giant, Steeplechase and Spring Grove as more deer-tolerant arborvitae options) and to ensure the approved landscape plan is maintained and enforced; staff confirmed the township can require replacement of failed plantings to match the approved site plan.

The commission emphasized that enforcement of any prior, unpermitted work is outside the planning-approval process and is handled by community development enforcement. The approval requires the applicant to address any engineering, fire-safety or zoning comments before construction permits are issued. The applicant said it aims to complete final engineering and put the structure under roof before winter, after bidding and contractor selection.

Votes at a glance: the revised West Shore Golf and Country Club site plan was approved with conditions requiring final engineering and fire marshal approval, replacement of unhealthy screening trees, and focused drainage review. The motion was made by Commissioner Jay and carried; a formal roll-call tally was not recorded in the transcript.

The commission moved on to a brief master-plan scheduling item after the vote.