Planning commission denies large indoor soccer/training facility at Stark Road after residents raise parking, drainage and neighborhood‑character concerns

The Livonia Planning Commission voted to deny a revised proposal from the Livonia Athletic District (LAD) to build a roughly 84,000‑square‑foot indoor soccer and training facility at 14255 Stark Road, concluding petitioners had not adequately demonstrated compliance with waiver‑use standards and had not finalized necessary shared‑parking agreements.

Staff described the most recent revisions: the petitioner reduced the building footprint from an earlier proposal, lowered the roof peak, added 20‑foot emergency access drives and expanded preserved woodland buffers adjacent to the Barlow Drain. Parks and Recreation submitted a letter saying discussions were under way with LAD about shared use of park parking but emphasized no formal agreement existed.

Owner Jeff Tripoli told the commission the project had been reduced to minimize woodland intrusion and that he was negotiating shared‑parking arrangements with the City and the Livonia Public Schools; he also said the proposal would improve the site and that the organization had completed preliminary wetland reviews with the state review agency. Tripoli asked the commission to condition a recommendation on the execution of formal parking agreements.

More than 20 people spoke during the extended public‑comment period. Neighbors and park users voiced consistent concerns: on‑site parking appeared insufficient for peak events, overflow parking had historically used park lawns and adjacent lots, several speakers said the area floods and the wetlands/Barlow Drain require special protection, and residents reported noise, late events and unsafe crossings near Frost Middle School. One resident described the plaza exit as a “suicide turn”; others cited repeated flooding in private driveways and called for better stormwater assurances before expansion.

Commissioners debated community character, infrastructure capacity and prior expectations when the YMCA‑style use was first approved in the area. Several commissioners noted the project team had made significant design improvements, but the lack of a signed parking agreement and outstanding drainage/wetland questions led a majority to support a denial. The motion to deny carried and the secretary advised the petitioner has 10 days to appeal the commission’s action to City Council in writing. Commissioners said they would consider a future application only after parking agreements and more definitive drainage and wetland engineering documentation were provided.