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Planning commission approves rear roll‑up doors for Noble Village after one door was already installed
Summary
The Clawson Planning Commission approved a site‑plan amendment permitting two rear roll‑up doors at Noble Village (45 E. 14 Mile Rd.) for deliveries and storage. Staff said one door had been installed before Planning Commission review; commissioners raised parking, dumpster and utility access concerns but voted to approve.
The Clawson Planning Commission on Feb. 10 approved a site‑plan amendment that allows Noble Village at 45 E. 14 Mile Road to install two rear roll‑up garage doors for deliveries and storage.
Consultant Andy Amont of Giffels Webster told the commission the building’s use — a grocery, patisserie and sushi restaurant — is not changing and that the two roll‑up doors are intended solely for deliveries and storage access. He described the western door as 6 feet 6 inches wide by 7 feet 6 inches high and the eastern door as 10 feet wide by 9 feet 11 inches high. Amont said an architect sealed the structural plans and a building permit was part of the record.
Chair (unnamed) and staff noted that one of the roll‑up doors had already been installed prior to this Planning Commission site‑plan review. “I have a problem with that one door has been put in without approval,” the Chair said, while adding that the building department had processed a permit and staff did not believe the work was done with ill intent. Planning staff confirmed the permit process allowed the work to be inspected and that the property owner will comply with the Planning Commission’s site‑plan review rules.
Commissioners questioned whether the doors constituted emergency egress or were only for deliveries, asked whether the installation would worsen parking or vehicle‑backing conflicts in the alley and noted nearby dumpsters and utility lines that could affect delivery movements. A staff response said the larger doors should make deliveries faster and more efficient and that vehicles are expected to load and unload from the alley rather than back into the building.
After discussion about ordinance clarity for minor facade changes and a recommendation from staff to review the site‑plan review standards for clarity, the commission moved to approve the site‑plan amendment with no additional conditions. A roll call vote recorded assent from the commissioners present.
The Planning Commission’s action permits the two roll‑up doors to remain and becomes part of the public site‑plan record. The matter may inform future zoning or procedural guidance on small facade changes and how the building department and Planning Commission coordinate inspections and site‑plan reviews.
