Livonia council sends proposed auto-repair conversion on Plymouth Road to Committee of the Whole after resident, planning concerns

Eman Enterprises LLC asked the Livonia City Council on Feb. 24 for a waiver-use approval to redevelop 27819 Plymouth Road (the former Mickey Schor Electronics building) as an automobile repair facility. The planning staff described the site as a roughly 2,000-square-foot building with two existing driveways, three work bays shown on plans, and a parking layout that included nine required customer spaces and additional spaces proposed to hold vehicles awaiting repair.

Key planning issues and neighborhood concerns: Planning staff said several conditions would be needed if council approved the waiver, including replacement of a wooden rear fence with a six-foot masonry screen wall or the provision of a 20-foot landscaped buffer, repairs to the parking lot, a masonry dumpster enclosure, downward-directed exterior lights to avoid glare, and replacement or careful review of a proposed thin-brick exterior material. Staff also noted prior approvals for auto-repair uses in 1971 and 1982 but said the use was not previously established at this location.

Petitioner statements and proposed mitigation: Business owner Mohammad Issa said the building already contains overhead doors and two in-ground hoists (to be replaced by above-ground hoists) and that he plans exterior upgrades including veneer or stone on the visible facades, replacement garage doors, and a block wall and fenced enclosure so vehicles awaiting repair would be out of public view. Issa told council he had discussed the site with the adjacent neighbor and believed the neighbor welcomed improvements.

Council concerns and direction: Multiple council members expressed reservations about visibility from Plymouth Road, potential overnight storage of vehicles in public view, dumpster placement and access for collection trucks, the adequacy of screening between the business and an adjacent residence, and the proposed vinyl fence versus masonry wall. Planning staff and council members recommended moving the dumpster away from the street and requiring a detailed landscape plan. One council member said the rear lot should be enclosed and that up to 10 cars could be stored overnight behind a wall if vehicles are not dismantled.

Outcome: At the petitioner’s request and following council discussion, the item was withdrawn from the March 10 regular meeting agenda and referred to the Committee of the Whole, a study session of the full council, to allow the petitioner and staff to address detailed questions about materials, landscaping, dumpster placement, illumination, and screening. The council did not vote to approve the waiver on Feb. 24.

Ending: Staff and the petitioner will coordinate revisions to plans and a detailed landscaping plan; the council office will notify the petitioner of the Committee of the Whole date for follow-up review.