Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Driveway Variance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Zoning board allows existing southeastern driveway to remain closer than code at Mug and Jug site
Summary
The Berkley Zoning Board of Appeals granted a variance to allow the southeastern driveway at the Mug and Jug redevelopment to be 26.8 feet from the intersection instead of the 30-foot requirement; the Road Commission had no written objection to the presented configuration.
On July 14 the Berkley Zoning Board of Appeals approved a dimensional variance allowing the southeastern driveway at the Mug and Jug redevelopment to remain at 26.8 feet from the intersection with 12 Mile Road, 3.2 feet short of the city’s 30-foot standard.
Eric Williams of Stonefield Engineering said the driveway has existed in its present location for decades and that forcing the driveway farther from the intersection would be impractical given the building footprint and four existing access points. Williams said the Road Commission of Oakland County (RCOC) reviewed the design and raised no safety objections to the presented driveway configuration; staff read an RCOC email from traffic-safety engineer Alec Krasinski describing required measures such as a raised island and signage to restrict certain turning movements.
Board members debated whether removing the driveway would push commercial traffic onto residential Elwood Avenue. After discussion, the board found the variance criteria in Sec. 138-17.04 satisfied and approved the 26.8-foot driveway variance by roll-call vote with the members recorded in the transcript voting in favor.
The approval keeps the existing access pattern, subject to RCOC-recommended traffic controls (divider islands and signage) described in the commission’s correspondence, and clears a remaining administrative condition for the site plan.
