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 and Merriman Road.

Planning Director Mario Ortega told the commission the “revised site plan now shows the speaker and menu location at the northeast corner of the building away from the adjacent residence” and that the applicant would still need variances for building and canopy setbacks. Ortega also summarized circulation concerns: “The original site plan proposed 1 full turning movement entrance and exit driveway approach on Ford Road…and 2 full turning movement entrance exit approaches on Merriman Road. The revised site plan now shows an exit only access drive on Ford Road restricted to a right‑turn only movement.”

The applicant’s representative said the design has been reduced in size to move the building to a 30‑foot setback from the west property line “instead of 40” to preserve adequate floor area for the convenience store and carryout tenant, and that the team had received an email from MDOT indicating preliminary support for a right‑turn‑only exit onto Ford Road. The representative also said the business would not operate 24 hours and estimated closing about 11 p.m. or midnight, which staff and commissioners cited when discussing potential late‑night light and noise impacts to nearby residences.

Commissioners pressed several recurring concerns. Multiple members flagged the safety risk of locating a fuel canopy under overhead electrical lines, saying DTE relocation or rerouting should be pursued: one commissioner said routing the lines around the site “would be a much safer situation,” noting a worst‑case scenario in which a downed line could energize canopy infrastructure. Commissioners also focused on curb‑cut configuration and stacking for the drive‑through. Planning staff said the drive‑through must provide 10 stacking spaces from the ordering menu board to the pickup window and that the proposed layout risked blocking internal circulation and the Merriman access when the restaurant is busy.

Ortega listed technical items the commission required before further action: combining the lots, showing truck, garbage and emergency‑vehicle turning diagrams, revised dumpster orientation and a grease‑storage plan for the restaurant tenant, cut sheets and a photometric lighting plan with a note that fixtures must point down and be nonadjustable after installation, speaker and menu‑board sound specifications including an automatic dimmer for nighttime operation, proof of DTE easement revision if structures remain in an easement, and a plan showing that the fuel canopy will not remain under the existing overhead power line unless DTE and the city approve a safe alternative. He also recommended any approval be contingent on city engineer and fire marshal sign‑offs plus MDOT and Wayne County approvals for curb cuts.

On motions, the commission acted as follows: the special land use application was tabled by unanimous vote (4‑0); the site plan review was tabled by a 3‑1 vote. The commission directed the applicant to return with revised plans and to confer with Wayne County and MDOT about acceptable curb‑cut and circulation configurations before the next hearing. The applicant was also asked to provide masonry and material samples for the building, revised canopy dimensions to avoid an unnecessary canopy‑setback variance, lighting fixture cut sheets and a photometric plan, and truck‑movement graphics for fuel and waste removal operations.

The matter will return to the Planning Commission after the applicant submits updated plans and documentation of outside approvals. The commission noted that if Wayne County or MDOT ultimately approves a different curb‑cut configuration, the county’s traffic determinations will be considered when the project returns to the commission.

Commission business that followed included a brief discussion of an upcoming zoning ordinance amendment on residential parking and an update on a downtown parking‑lot redevelopment and Brownfield financing process; no final actions were taken on those items at this meeting.