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Planning commission conditionally approves Great Lakes Water Authority pump station near Metroview and 8 Mile
Summary
The Farmington Hills Planning Commission voted to approve a new booster pump station for the Great Lakes Water Authority at Metroview and 8 Mile with conditions including tree replacement, a photometric plan, screening along the north property line and required variances to be sought at the Zoning Board of Appeals.
The Farmington Hills Planning Commission on Monday approved, subject to conditions, a special‑use site plan for a new Great Lakes Water Authority booster pumping station at the corner of Metroview Road and 8 Mile.
Clayton Johnson of Brown and Caldwell, the project engineer, told the commission: "We're proposing to construct a 52,000,000 gallon per day capacity booster pumping station" to replace an aging facility that is more than 50 years old and to be operational before the old station is taken out of service. He said the facility will be largely unmanned and operated remotely by the authority’s supervisory control and data acquisition system, with staff visiting only for maintenance and occasional operations.
Why it matters: the project is in an RA‑1 residential district and triggers multiple site and design standards. City‑hired reviewer Joe Tang of Giffels Webster flagged issues including the building’s height (measured at 34.5 feet, over the 30‑foot limit), missing dumpster enclosure, a tree removal plan, parking dimensions, absence of screening along the north property line where the site abuts a residence, a fence encroachment into a 40‑foot setback and missing photometric lighting information.
Neighbors raised concerns. William Ferguson, who lives adjacent to the site, asked the commission to "leave as many trees there as you can" and that lighting be directed away from his property.
Commission action: the commission’s motion approved Special Approval/Site Plan 66102025 (September 2025 submittal by Brown and Caldwell) subject to multiple conditions. Those conditions require the applicant to address all outstanding items in the consultant and engineering reviews to the reasonable satisfaction of the city planner and city engineer, provide a tree replacement plan, submit a photometric plan that meets section 34‑5.16 standards, construct a compliant dumpster enclosure or obtain a variance, and pursue variances at the Zoning Board of Appeals for the proposed building height and fence setback where necessary. Relief from the commercial design standard related to ground‑floor window coverage was granted as part of the motion.
The commission recorded an affirmative roll‑call vote in favor of the conditional approval. The city planner and city engineer will review revised drawings and confirm compliance with the stated conditions before permits are issued.
What happens next: the applicant will prepare revised plans addressing the review comments and will pursue any necessary variances at the Zoning Board of Appeals. Staff will confirm the tree replacement, screening and photometrics before final sign‑off.
