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Council remands Dartmouth parking-as-principal-use plan to Planning Commission; schedules alley-vacation hearing
Summary
After extensive public comment opposing a proposed restaurant expansion and related parking lot on Dartmouth Street, City Council remanded the special land-use application back to the Planning Commission for further review and set a public hearing for an alley vacation tied to the project.
Madison Heights City Council voted on Sept. 8 to remand the special land use application for a parking lot and drive aisle intended to serve a proposed restaurant on Dartmouth Street back to the Planning Commission, and to schedule a public hearing on a related alley-vacation request for Oct. 13.
The applicant (identified in the packet as Nature Companies) requested special land use approval under Madison Heights Zoning Ordinance sections 10.06 and 15.05 to develop parking as a principal use on a residential parcel at 28767 Dartmouth Street. Staff told council the Planning Commission had previously recommended denial of the request because of site-plan concerns; the applicant submitted a revised concept plan on Aug. 28 and held a public town-hall meeting to gather input.
Multiple neighbors spoke during the meeting. Resident Kathy Sapia, identifying herself as a long-time neighbor of Dartmouth, Caron Drive and Bel Air Streets, opposed the proposal and said traffic, deliveries and garbage pickups tied to a restaurant expansion would “negatively impact our neighborhood” and could lower home values. Sapia said that a new interchange and traffic pattern on 12 Mile Road forces drivers to use the alley and Dartmouth streets to access the site, and that the project could generate about 160 cars she said would be routed through neighborhood streets.
Another neighbor, Timothy Ginster, asked whether homeowners would need to disclose the development to prospective buyers; the council said it could not provide legal advice at the meeting and recommended Ginster consult a realtor.
Planning staff recommended postponing council action on the special land use until the Oct. 13 meeting and remanding the revised plan to the Planning Commission for its Sept. 16 meeting. The council voted to remand the case to the Planning Commission and to return the matter to council on Oct. 13; a council member said privately on the record that they did not “see any world where this makes sense” for the neighborhood, reflecting council caution expressed during debate.
Separately, staff received a petition to vacate a 17‑foot alley that provides access between 1601 West 12 Mile Road and 28767 Dartmouth Street; staff recommended council set a public hearing for Oct. 13 and refer the alley vacation request to the Planning Commission if the related special land use case was remanded. Council voted to refer the alley vacation to the Planning Commission and set the Oct. 13 public hearing; staff will supply updated utility-company letters and Department of Public Services information before the hearing.
The remand keeps the revised concept plan under Planning Commission scrutiny and preserves the Oct. 13 council meeting as the next opportunity for a final decision on both the special land use and the alley vacation.
