Warren zoning board postpones decision on proposed mixed-use Van Dyke development after parking, design concerns

Warren Zoning Board of Appeals members voted 7–1 on Sept. 24 to postpone indefinitely a request from the City of Warren and a developer to permit a three-story, mixed-use building at Van Dyke and Continental Avenue that would combine medical office space and 23 apartments.

The petitioner, Hunter Manikas, economic development staff for the City of Warren, told the board the project is intended as an anchor for investment on South Van Dyke and said the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) had offered a flexible grant of approximately $1.8 million to close a funding gap for the project. Manikas said the development has site-plan approval and that the property is owned by a TIFA (Tax Increment Financing Authority) board lot and will be transferred to the My Health Clinic entity that will occupy the building.

Board members said they supported the overall goal of revitalizing Van Dyke but repeatedly raised concerns about parking, pedestrian safety and the scale of residential uses proposed on a narrow site. Several members said the submitted materials were hard to read or incomplete and asked for renderings and clearer parking calculations before they could take action.

During discussion members questioned the number of on-site parking spaces. The petitioner initially reported “29 parking spaces, or 31,” then later said “36” when confronted with the drawing. Manikas said the TIFA district plans a public parking lot across the street and that the developer expects to use that lot and library parking to supplement on‑site spaces; Manikas also said the parking lot behind the building would be owned by the My Health Clinic LLC. Several board members said shared or off-site parking behind other properties and at the library would be inadequate, could create conflicts with those property owners, and might pose pedestrian safety issues if residents and clinic visitors had to cross Van Dyke at night.

Board members also requested clearer documentation about the grant timeline and contingencies. Manikas said the MEDC grant originally was described at $1.6 million and had risen to $1.8 million, and that the MEDC could increase funding up to about $2 million in some circumstances but that “ultimately, the city will not be responsible for paying any overages,” he said.

Several board members said they wanted a visual rendering of the proposed building, a clearer parking plan (including a written shared-parking agreement if library or public lots would be relied upon), and a revised site plan that responds to concerns about the number of ground-floor residential units facing the sidewalk.

After further discussion a board member moved to postpone the item indefinitely to allow the petitioner and city staff to address the board’s concerns. The motion passed 7–1. The petitioner was advised to return with renderings, revised parking plans and documentation addressing occupancy, parking agreements and timelines for MEDC grant disbursement.

This decision does not approve the requested variances; it leaves the application pending until the petitioner returns with additional materials.