Planning commission recommends council keep 9-foot parking standard on 9 Mile, offer variances for affected businesses

The Eastpointe Planning Commission on March 6 recommended that city council keep the city’s 9-foot parallel-parking standard but allow property-specific variances along the 9 Mile corridor to preserve existing parking for longstanding businesses. The commission voted unanimously to forward the recommendation to council.

Planning staff presented two specific problem locations: East Detroit Bakery, where 60-degree angled parking provides 11 spaces but leaves a 15-foot drive aisle, and several spots on the south side of 9 Mile where the area used for parallel parking is about 7 feet wide. City ordinance requires a 9-foot minimum for parallel parking; the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and other jurisdictions commonly permit 8-foot parallel spaces, and the bakery’s drive aisle dimensions match MDOT guidance.

"The first location is at the East Detroit Bakery. At the East Detroit Bakery currently, there's 60 degree parking. There's 11 parking spaces on the front edge of the property. And there's a 15 foot wide drive aisle," Ryan Kern, the city’s planning engineer, told commissioners while outlining alternatives. Kern said converting angled parking to parallel parking or changing the driveway approach would reduce the number of spaces substantially; one proposal would preserve the existing 11 spaces but leave a 15-foot aisle, which is below the city’s 18-foot requirement for 60-degree parking.

Kern also described a south-side block between Rain and Cushing where a parking strip between sidewalk and street is only about 7 feet wide. "Our recommendation there would be to change the ordinance from 9 feet to 8 feet, which is the typical for a parallel parking space," Kern said, adding that in some locations the city would need right-of-way or a one-foot sidewalk adjustment to fit an 8-foot parallel space.

Commissioners debated whether to amend the ordinance citywide or handle exceptions by variance. Chairman Jeremy DeHaan said he preferred allowing variances, calling MDOT’s narrower standard "mistaken" for Eastpointe’s context but acknowledging the case-by-case need. Several commissioners, including Moody and Stokes, said they favored keeping the 9-foot standard for the city while granting variances on 9 Mile where necessary to avoid eliminating longstanding parking for businesses.

The commission’s motion — to recommend that council retain the 9-foot expectation but offer variances along 9 Mile as needed — passed by roll call. The vote recorded unanimous support from commissioners present.

Next steps: staff will forward the commission’s recommendation to city council for consideration as part of the 9 Mile reconstruction project and related ordinance or variance work.