Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use Site Plan topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Warren Planning Commission approves outdoor storage site plan on 10 Mile Road with conditions and variances to follow
Summary
The Planning Commission voted to approve a site plan allowing open storage of construction materials and equipment at a 10 Mile Road property, subject to standard conditions, a $1,000 performance bond and several variances that must be considered by the Zoning Board of Appeals.
The Warren City Planning Commission approved a site plan July 28 to permit outdoor storage of construction materials and equipment at a property on the south side of 10 Mile Road, subject to standard planning conditions and outstanding zoning variances.
Planning staff recommended approval with five specific conditions, including combining three parcels into a single parent parcel, recording an ingress/egress agreement with the adjacent property owner, updating the site plan scale and parcel legal descriptions, and posting a performance bond. Planning staff also identified multiple variances the petitioner must obtain from the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA), notably a variance to exceed the allowed open-storage area by approximately 18,609.5 square feet and variances to allow open storage and maneuvering to the front property line and on a gravel surface.
Jeffrey Graham, an architect with Chemtech & Associates representing the property owner, described the site’s long-running use: “My client's family bought this facility 40 years ago to use it for the exact same purpose.” He told commissioners the site has been used for open storage for decades and that the petitioner will apply for the required variances.
Planning Director Ron Wirth outlined the recommended conditions. Wirth said the parcel numbers and property descriptions must be added to revised plans, the three parcels involved must be combined into one parent parcel, a recorded ingress/egress agreement must be provided, and several variances must be applied for before building permits are released. Wirth also noted planning staff did not support waiving the opaque slat requirement for the fence along 10 Mile Road, saying screening was necessary because most of the property will contain outdoor storage.
Commission discussion focused on plan accuracy, the need for numeric consistency for the storage areas, and the performance bond amount. After a motion to approve the site plan by Commissioner Halawady, seconded by Commissioner Doussay, Commissioner Doussay asked the maker to change the performance bond from $0 to $1,000; the motion was amended accordingly and supported by the maker. Graham told the commission he was prepared to incorporate staff recommendations and variances if required.
Roll call voting recorded unanimous approval. The commission’s approval is contingent on the petitioner addressing the planning conditions and seeking the variances from the ZBA; Wirth warned that if the petitioner fails to secure even one required variance, the plan cannot be implemented as approved.
The commission added the required variances to the revised site plan and authorized the planning director to sign off on the site plan once the conditions were met.
The petitioner will come back with revised site plans that include the required parcel consolidation, corrected area measurements for open storage, ingress/egress documentation, and the variances granted by the ZBA as applicable. If the ZBA denies any required variance, the approved site plan will not be operable without further commission review or redesign.
