Planning commission tables West Shore cart‑storage plan after concerns about buffer, drainage and parking

Grocery Hill Township planners and neighbors asked for more detail and revisions before approving West Shore Golf and Country Club’s proposed cart‑storage building, and the Planning Commission voted to table the application pending those changes.

Planner Brian Bridal summarized the item as a site‑plan review for West Shore Golf and Country Club at 22893 West River Road, asking the commission to consider a new building, parking reconfiguration and several waivers from landscape standards. “The ordinance requires what’s called a buffer zone B,” Bridal said, describing a 20‑foot planting strip that the club’s proposal would partially encroach upon.

The applicant, architect Robert Howie, and club representative Mario Ferrante described the project as a replacement for an existing open‑air cart storage area and said the design would match the clubhouse’s materials. Howie said the club “does not want to disturb… those existing trees on the northwest corner of the site,” and Ferrante said the chosen location “was the number one reason” because of site logistics and play‑flow around the first hole.

Neighbors and a township resident raised safety and visual‑impact concerns. Dr. Margaret Lutzick, who spoke at public comment, described the structure as “a 7,680‑square‑foot storage building that will stand 18 feet tall” and asked the commission to deny any variance that would reduce the required setback. She also urged the commission to require fire‑suppression safeguards and to protect the waterfront character of West River Road.

Commissioners and staff flagged three substantive issues to resolve before any approval: landscaping/buffer requirements, stormwater/drainage detail, and parking. Staff said the submitted plan showed a 12‑foot setback at the building where the landscape ordinance requires a 20‑foot buffer and associated plantings and a berm or masonry screen. Bridal noted the applicant proposed 24 arborvitae in place of the ordinance’s mix of canopy trees, evergreens and shrubs, and asked for clearer tree‑preservation mapping and a larger‑scale landscape plan showing how required screening would be met.

Commissioners also sought a basic drainage concept so the commission and neighbors could see how roof and site runoff would be handled. Bridal and others said final engineering and fire‑marshal reviews would be required at permitting; commissioners asked for a conceptual storm‑drain plan or notation on the site plan showing how downspouts and roof runoff will be routed so runoff cannot flow onto adjacent properties.

On parking, the applicant said the construction would remove about 25 spaces where the new building sits but would add roughly 25 elsewhere on the lot; staff noted the submission lacked a full parking calculation based on township standards (clubhouse square footage, holes, employees and event demand). Commissioners asked the applicant to provide the formal parking calculation used for the township’s requirements so the commission can evaluate any request to alter parking counts.

After discussion, the commission voted to table the application and asked the applicant to return with: a corrected site plan showing the true southern property line; a landscape plan with tree‑preservation details and planting specifications to achieve a 20‑foot buffer on the north side (without a masonry wall or berm unless the commission directs otherwise); a conceptual drainage plan showing roof and site runoff measures; clarification of the building height and a north‑facing façade treatment so the rear elevation is not a continuous unarticulated roof; the proposed shield for the east wall light; repair or replacement notes for the existing trash‑enclosure; and the parking calculations for the existing and proposed layouts. The motion to table passed on a voice vote.

The commission set an expectation for a quick return to the agenda once revisions are submitted; staff indicated the first available meeting would be in early April or sooner if materials arrive earlier. Bridal said engineering and fire‑marshal comments will remain conditions of any future approval.

The commission’s action was procedural: no final approvals were granted and no permits were issued. The applicant said the club would preserve mature trees where feasible and could provide additional architectural detail on the building’s north elevation and shielding for the east wall pack. The neighbor and public commenters will have another opportunity to review the revised plans when the application returns to the commission.