Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Commercial Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning commission recommends rezoning at Ford/Lotts for regional commercial district; applicant says Sheetz possible, opponents cite traffic and environmental
Summary
Planning commissioners recommended rezoning four parcels at Ford Road and Lotts Road to C3 with a Central Business District overlay, a change staff said follows the comprehensive plan; the applicant’s representative identified Sheetz as a potential end user, but commissioners noted that any fuel/EV station would require future PDD and site-plan approvals and multiple residents raised traffic and environmental concerns.
The Canton Township Planning Commission voted to recommend rezoning four parcels at the southwest corner of Ford Road and Lotts Road from MRD (Mid Rise Development with Corporate Park overlay) to C3 (Regional Commercial) with the Central Business District (CBD) overlay, a change planning staff said aligns with the township’s comprehensive plan and recent corridor strategies.
Planning staff member Patrick Sloan opened the public hearing by reviewing who may legally file rezoning applications and by explaining that the proposed rezoning is limited to the zoning map change — not approval of any specific business or site plan. Sloan noted the corporate park overlay was created under a prior plan and that the township’s current master plan recommends replacing the overlay with CBD and extending C3 in this corridor.
Aman Walia, representing Sheetz, said Sheetz would bring a combined convenience-restaurant offering and fueling/EV charging to a roughly 2.34-acre developed site (as presented by the applicant). "We will offer made-to-order food, coffee and convenience options and modern EV charging," Walia said, and described employment and local-spend benefits including an estimated 30–35 full-time jobs and local construction spending. Land-use attorney John Gaber said the rezoning request is consistent with the master plan and zoning trends in the corridor.
Opponents and nearby business owners urged caution and requested delay or additional review. Dozens of residents and local business owners testified during the public hearing about current congestion at the Ford/Lotts intersection, the potential for increased traffic and demand on road infrastructure under state and county jurisdiction, and concerns about groundwater or soil contamination near a fueling use. Attorney Ali Barrow, representing a local civic group, emphasized concerns about traffic capacity and environmental risk and urged greater public notice if fueling operations were proposed. Several speakers also pointed to the number of recent corridor approvals and asked that township and road agencies coordinate larger-scale improvements to address cumulative impacts.
Patrick Sloan told the commission that automobile fueling stations are not automatically permitted in C3; a later Plan Development District (PDD) application or other development application would be required to permit a standalone fueling facility, and that PDD review would include detailed traffic, lighting, noise, stormwater and other impact analyses and additional public hearings. He also noted the submitted traffic impact study by Fleece & Vandenbrink concludes study intersections would operate at acceptable levels subject to suggested improvements; that study will be reviewed by the township’s traffic engineering consultant and by Wayne County and MDOT for jurisdictional decisions.
After discussion the commission moved to recommend approval of the rezoning (planning application 049-RZ-859). Commissioner Watkins made the motion and Commissioner Lee seconded. Roll-call votes were all in favor (Egenberger: yes; Foster: yes; Janowski: yes; Lee: yes; Singh: yes; Watkins: yes; Weber: yes; Zuber: yes). The recommendation goes next to the township board of trustees for two readings. Sloan reminded the audience that rezoning itself does not approve hours, fueling operations or other site-specific conditions; those would be evaluated in a future PDD or site-plan process with its own public hearings.
Why it matters: the ordinance map change is consistent with master-plan guidance for Ford Road and opens the site to a broader set of commercial uses. But multiple residents and existing businesses urged the township to coordinate with Wayne County and MDOT on traffic improvements and to ensure environmental safeguards would be required should a fueling operation be proposed.
Next steps: the township board will consider the recommendation at two readings; if the board approves the rezoning, any proposed development (including a fueling station or a combined convenience/restaurant/EV charging project) would require a separate PDD/site-plan review with additional public hearings and agency reviews.
