Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety Infrastructure topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission recommends revised site plan for Canton Township Fire Station No. 4 after wetland findings
Summary
After updated wetland surveying, the planning commission recommended approval of a revised site plan for Canton Township Fire Station No. 4, moving the building to minimize wetland impacts and consolidating access to Michigan Avenue.
The Canton Township Planning Commission on Sept. 8 recommended approval of a revised site plan for Fire Station No. 4 after environmental review identified forested wetlands at the previously proposed location.
Staff explained that updated wetland surveying showed a larger wetland impact at the originally proposed east parcel; placing the building on the township’s adjacent west parcel reduced the wetland disturbance to below one acre and lowered mitigation costs. Patrick Sloan, planning staff, said shifting the building westward allowed the project to minimize wetland impacts, avoid prohibitive mitigation and maintain similar roadway exposure to Michigan Avenue.
Under the revised plan, the station’s drive access will be exclusively from Michigan Avenue; a turnaround immediately in front of the station is shown so westbound drivers can reverse direction and enter eastbound. The changes to layout affect parking, grading, lighting and landscaping but the building elevations remain the same as the version the commission reviewed in May.
Mike Malone and Nate Ringholz from Partners in Architecture described the redesign as necessary after the wetlands were identified. Nate Ringholz told the commission the revised layout reduces the project’s wetland impact to under one acre and that wetland mitigation credits (which the team estimated at approximately $180,000 per credit) would have made the original configuration costly and potentially nonviable.
Staff recommended approval subject to state, county and township requirements, including compliance with landscaping and signage requirements except where specific modifications were recommended in the staff report (wetland setbacks, foundation landscape depth on the south side and a reduced frontage berm). Commissioners asked technical questions and expressed general support.
A motion to recommend approval passed unanimously. Approvals are conditioned on the standard state, county and township reviews, including Michigan Department of Transportation review of the Michigan Avenue curb cuts where required.
Ending: With the planning commission recommendation, township staff will coordinate final civil, landscaping and permitting steps, and the project will proceed through the applicable state and county reviews prior to construction.
