Warren Planning Commission postpones Speedway gas station after safety and traffic study disputes

A contested plan for a Speedway gas station and convenience store at the northeast corner of Mound Road and 13 Mile Road drew hours of testimony and was postponed after the Warren Planning Commission failed to reach the five‑vote majority needed for approval.

The applicant, represented by Josh Bratton of AG Redevelopment and traffic engineer Robert Matko (CESO), presented revisions to the site plan intended to reduce conflict points: they removed a left‑out on 13 Mile, routed egress to Mound Road only, adjusted curbs to accommodate fuel‑truck turning radii, and added landscaping they said exceeded ordinance requirements. Matko told the commission the revised traffic impact analysis (TIA) — updated to include GM counts from 2024 and a January field count — showed the intersection would continue to operate at a level of service B and would not produce queuing problems.

But the project met sustained opposition from neighbors, outside counsel and an independent peer reviewer. Julie Kroll of Fleece & Vandenbrink — retained by opponents — told the commission she identified ‘‘critical deficiencies’’ in the applicant’s November 2025 TIA and had not yet been able to review the applicant’s recently submitted revision. Kroll said key problems included data‑collection methods, modeling assumptions, and noncompliance with Michigan Department of Transportation guidelines; she recommended the city commission commission a third‑party review and obtain formal comment from the Macomb County Department of Roads (MCDR).

Attorney Jordan Siegel — representing nearby property owners and stakeholders — told the commission the peer review found 27 separate deficiencies in the TIA and argued the study underestimates backups, delays and sight‑distance problems that would increase crash risk. Public commenters including Lloyd Brown described recent field conditions (snow and holiday counts) that they said made the applicant’s counts unrepresentative of normal traffic and argued the design introduces multiple conflict points.

Applicant counsel Pat Lennon said the team supplemented the record with a new count on Jan. 20, 2026, incorporated GM counts from 2024 and added a crash‑analysis. The applicant also said it had made a major site change — eliminating an exit onto 13 Mile — specifically to address sight‑distance and queuing concerns, and that Macomb County approval for certain curb modifications remained pending.

Commissioners split along safety lines in deliberations. A motion to approve carried on a 4–3 roll call, but commission rules require five concurring votes for final approval; the chair and city attorney confirmed the rule and the item was postponed to the commission’s next regular meeting on March 23. No formal approval or denial was recorded; the petitioner must still resolve outstanding conditions, including any required county permits and the remaining engineering responses noted by planning staff.

What happens next: The item will return to the Planning Commission on March 23. Planning staff and some commissioners urged the record be supplemented with county responses and, if the commission chooses, an independent technical peer review of the revised TIA before a final vote.