Livonia planners deny Wine Castle food-truck waiver, cite zoning, safety and unpaid taxes

The Livonia Planning Commission on June 24 denied a waiver-use petition to allow a food truck to operate at the Wine Castle at the intersection of 7 Mile Road and Farmington Road.

Planning staff described the proposal as Papi's Tacos operating from a 20-by-8-foot truck occupying three parking spaces on the north side of the Wine Castle building, operating three days a week from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Jacob Uhasi of the city planning department summarized the site as about 0.62 acres with roughly 247 feet of frontage on 7 Mile Road and noted surrounding commercial development and planned projects. "The proposal is for Papi's Tacos which would occupy 3 parking spots in the parking lot on the north side of the existing building," Uhasi said during the staff presentation.

Petitioner Judy Welch, who represented the Wine Castle, said the intent was to host neighborhood events and support local teams as the nearby area redevelops. "We're a neighborhood store and I'd like to get some events going before the Meijer opens up across the street and become more of a neighborhood store," Welch said.

City technical reviews raised several outstanding issues. The inspection department said a minimum of two public restroom stalls must be provided and meet the Michigan Plumbing Code and barrier-free standards; the fire marshal required clearance plans to ensure emergency apparatus access; the engineering division warned that any work affecting 7 Mile or Farmington rights-of-way will require Wayne County permits; and the city treasurer reported taxes and utility charges owed on the property totaling $25,656.19 (taxes of $23,075.56 plus unpaid water bills of $2,580.63 were listed in the record).

Commissioners pressed for operational details the application did not fully resolve, including whether the truck is self-contained for water and wastewater (staff and the petitioner said the vendor represents the unit is self-contained and takes waste off-site), how grease would be handled, whether customers could purchase alcohol inside the Wine Castle and then consume food on-site or in vehicles, and the lack of a dumpster enclosure and final restroom arrangements.

Commissioner Long moved to deny the waiver use, citing seven reasons: failure to meet general standards of section 6.51 of the zoning ordinance; conflict with the spirit and intent of the zoning ordinance; insufficient demonstration of site capacity; failure to comply with the city treasury; unresolved safety and welfare concerns; incompatibility with the principal use of the property and surrounding area; and inconsistency with the ordinance goals and objectives. The motion, supported by Commissioner Bongero, carried on a roll-call vote. The chair noted the petitioner has 10 days to appeal the decision in writing to city council.

The commission's denial is a recommendation that will be forwarded to city council; city council will hold its own public hearing and make the final decision on any appeal.