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 more units shall be considered a single property, which means they only get 1 bin, which also means then that they are required to get a trash dumpster.”

Applicant Patrick Pannatsek, who identified himself as representing the property owner, told the commission the project had been approved previously and that the team hoped to begin construction in spring once outstanding items were resolved. “We are trying to be a resident and a participant in Bay City and rely on what is written in the ordinance,” Pannatsek said.

Several neighbors and the Center Avenue Neighborhood Association opposed the plan. Marianne Super, who said she lives next door to the parcel, described the block as a family neighborhood and said the site is “very small” with limited depth and street parking. “Every night, there’s at least two cars on the street without fail,” Super said, and she urged the commission to favor single-family or townhouse-style solutions over a 12-unit building.

Stewart Barbier, secretary of the Center Avenue Neighborhood Association, read a letter stating the association voted 8–0 to oppose the project. Barbier pointed to the City’s 2024 master plan and a 2016 housing study, arguing the proposal does not match “missing middle” housing types such as townhouses or row houses and would not advance neighborhood stabilization goals.

Commissioners and staff debated whether the proposed interiors would be regulated as efficiency apartments or as one-bedroom units, and noted the ordinance ties parking standards to that classification. Moltene and others said the zoning ordinance treats an efficiency as under roughly 500 square feet for parking calculation purposes; if units are classified as one-bedroom, a higher parking ratio (commonly 1.5 spaces per one-bedroom) would apply. The applicant’s site plan shows on-site parking but commissioners noted different readouts during the hearing: one speaker cited 14 spaces including a handicapped stall; another indicated the drawing showed 11 spaces plus a handicapped space. Commissioners agreed parking is constrained but that the current application complied with the ordinance’s parking standard if the units are treated as efficiencies.

Commission deliberations also focused on refuse handling. Commissioners asked the applicant to revise the site plan to depict a screened dumpster in a location workable for collection trucks and acceptable in visibility and screening. Several options were discussed: locating the dumpster in a west-side parking stall with a 10-foot setback or in the handicap-accessible stall area with a screened gate to facilitate truck access. The commission agreed the final dumpster screening and placement could be resolved administratively by staff as a condition of approval.

After discussion the commission member proposing approval moved to grant both the site plan and special use permit, subject to: city engineer approval of stormwater management; approval of dumpster location and screening to satisfy chapter 86 enforcement; and final Historic District Commission review of architectural details. The motion passed by voice vote; no recorded roll-call tally was provided in the meeting minutes.

The commission noted additional administrative reviews that must be completed before construction: building-plan review for unit configuration (efficiency vs. one-bedroom), final stormwater and utility approvals, and Historic District Commission design details. The applicant said he would work with staff on those administrative items.

The commission’s approval allows the applicant to proceed with the next steps of permitting and administrative review. Commissioners and neighbors said they expect further coordination on dumpster screening, parking management and the building’s exterior details with the Historic District Commission and city staff.

Votes at a glance: The Planning Commission approved CASE SU2503 (site plan and special use for 1113 Center Avenue, 12-unit efficiency apartment) by voice vote on Feb. 19, 2025; approval is contingent on stormwater- and engineering-related sign-offs, final Historic District Commission approval, and administrative confirmation of dumpster screening and placement.