Livonia council denies rezoning request for proposed Sheetz at 8 Mile and Newburgh

Livonia City Council members on Monday denied a request to rezone a commercial parcel at the southeast corner of 8 Mile (M-102) and Newburgh Road to allow a 24-hour Sheetz convenience store and gas fueling operation.

The council voted 5-2 to deny the rezoning after extensive public comment and a lengthy exchange among council members about traffic, neighborhood character, environmental risk and municipal planning goals. Councilwoman Laura Toy made the motion to deny; the motion passed with Toy, Councilmember Donovic, President McCullough, Councilmember Budzinski and Vice President Tashnik voting in favor. Councilmembers Shield and Morgan voted no.

The petition before council sought to rezone the parcel from C-1 (local business) to C-2 (general business) to permit a ~6,139-square-foot convenience/restaurant building with a 12-station, 6-pump fueling canopy on a roughly 1.83-acre developed site. Sheetz representative Alex Sawicki told the council the project would involve roughly $10 million in construction, create 30–35 full-time positions and would include an on-site kitchen, a drive-through ordering point and a “made-to-order” food program.

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