Livonia City Council approved a developer-backed plan on Dec. 3 to allow a car-wash facility at the northeast corner of Fox Drive and 6 Mile Road, voting 4–3 after extended public comment and opposing council remarks.

The petition (2025-07-02), presented by attorney Brandon Gresco on behalf of the property owner, proposes demolishing the existing restaurant building, shifting the new building west away from an adjacent historic cemetery and adding an 18-foot vegetated buffer. Gresco told the council the developer expects to invest “5 to $6 million” in the property and that the project includes underground stormwater detention and other measures to control run-off. He also said the driveway approach must be moved before a traffic signal can be installed and that Schoolcraft College is a partner in the signal work.

Council member Rob Donovic, who offered the approving motion, said his primary reason for supporting the project was the opportunity to secure a privately funded reconstruction of the intersection, including a traffic signal and turning lanes. “That light, those traffic signal improvements … is going to be privately funded, not by taxpayers,” Donovic said, noting a previously cited industry estimate of roughly $1.2 million in 2023 that he said is likely about $1.4 million today.

Opponents — including scores of Quakertown residents, neighborhood spokespersons and local preservation advocates — urged the council to deny the petition or delay the vote until the newly elected council is seated. Residents repeatedly cited traffic-safety concerns at the busy 6 Mile/Haggerty corridor, questioned whether additional traffic signals would improve safety, and warned of over-concentration of car washes in Livonia.

“My neighborhood is outraged at the very idea of another car wash,” said a Quakertown resident who addressed the council during the public comment period. Several speakers also raised the adjacent cemetery’s historic significance and potential for construction-related impacts. Kathy Bilger, speaking for a group of residents, said the Michigan statutes that govern cemetery protection call on local officials to safeguard burial grounds and asked the council to consider that duty in its vote.

Councilwoman Carrie Budzinski opposed approval on policy grounds, citing what she described as an oversaturated local market for car washes and the long-term difficulty of repurposing such low-investment buildings. “In Livonia, city proper, we have 14 car washes right now,” Budzinski said during the debate, and she warned that converting valuable property into a use that is hard to re-adapt may reduce future redevelopment options.

The developer and some council members defended the project’s trade-offs — arguing the plan would remove parking and drive aisles next to the cemetery, create a landscaped buffer, fund intersection reconstruction that otherwise would be unlikely, and reduce localized stormwater risks via underground detention. John Pastor, a local developer who spoke in favor, said underground detention would “control the groundwater surface” and help address residents’ water-incursion concerns.

On the roll call, council members Donovic, Vice President Tashnick, Scheele and Morgan voted yes; Budzinski, Toye and President McCullough voted no. The motion to approve the waiver passed 4–3.

The council record shows the committee of the whole previously discussed the item in November; the committee recommended that the law department draft an approving resolution. The developer and staff still must satisfy any conditions set by the city and complete necessary permit reviews and engineering approvals before construction begins.

The council did not amend zoning code language in this vote; it approved the candidate site plan and waiver subject to standard plan-review conditions. Residents who opposed the measure said they will continue to monitor follow-up permitting and stated they may pursue additional advocacy or legal options.

The council moved on to other agenda items after the vote; there was no immediate procedural motion to reconsider the car-wash approval recorded that evening.