Bay City Planning Commission approves 12-unit project at 1113 Center Avenue with conditions

The Bay City Planning Commission voted to approve a special use permit and site plan for a 12-unit efficiency apartment building at 1113 Center Avenue on Feb. 19, voting by voice and attaching conditions for stormwater management review, Historic District Commission review and an administratively approved dumpster enclosure.

The decision came after roughly an hour of staff presentation, applicant remarks and public comment that focused on parking, trash collection and whether the proposed units qualify as efficiencies or one-bedroom apartments under city rules. Commission action approved the site plan and special-use request with contingencies for city engineering, the Historic District Commission and solid-waste screening requirements.

Terry Moltene, planning staff, said the property was first considered in 2018 and staff provided prior minutes and plans to the commission. Moltene flagged a recently noted provision in Bay City Code, chapter 86, section 86-701, saying that multiple-family dwellings with 11 or more units are treated as a single property for refuse collection and therefore are required to provide a dumpster rather than individual curbside carts. Moltene read the code provision in part during the hearing: “refuse and recycling collection services shall be provided to the following locations... For purposes of this section, a multiple family dwelling having 11 or…