Garden City planning panel tables gas-station special land use and site plan after traffic, safety and utilities concerns

The Garden City Planning Commission on Thursday tabled both the special land use request and the site plan for a proposed gas station and convenience store with a drive-through at 31406 Ford Road, giving the applicant time to revise plans and to seek external approvals including from the Michigan Department of Transportation and Wayne County.

Commissioners voted to table the special land use application 4-0 and to table the site plan 3-1. Both items were continued so the applicant can address site-plan deficiencies identified by planning staff, reroute overhead utility lines, provide truck and emergency-vehicle turning diagrams, and obtain or document third‑party approvals and any required variances.

The proposal submitted under application PPL‑205‑12 would combine two parcels and construct a convenience store with fuel pumps and a small carryout restaurant with a drive‑through pickup lane. Planning staff identified several outstanding technical issues, including required variances to the 40‑foot setback from residential property and the canopy setback requirements, the location of an underground fuel canopy under existing DTE overhead lines, the dumpster location and truck maneuvering, lighting and speaker details for the drive‑through, and the need for MDOT and Wayne County review for curb cuts on Ford Road…