Planning commission approves 61,580-square-foot addition at 4950 37th Street with conditions

Cascade Charter Township Planning Commission members voted May 18 to approve site-plan application case 263921 for an approximately 61,580-square-foot addition to an existing manufacturing building at 4950 37th Street, subject to a set of conditions the commission required before construction.

Brian Wilson, who identified himself as operations director, summarized the staff report and told the commission the site is roughly 7.31 acres, the existing building is about 57,000 square feet and the proposal is for an approximately 61,000-square-foot one-story expansion. Wilson noted that the zoning-board of appeals had granted a variance on May 12 to allow a reduced front-yard setback and that a drainage plan and engineering addendum had been included with the packet. He also highlighted an issue in the submittal with outdoor lighting: "the staff report does indicate that the average foot candle for outdoor lighting is too low and does not meet these standards, so a slight modification is needed," Wilson said.

Chris Miller, who introduced himself as the applicant and said he prepared the site plan, told the commission the applicant coordinated with the fire department during the pre-application meeting and added hydrants and a fire-truck turnaround exhibit to the plan set to satisfy access and maximum hose-distance requirements. "We did add a couple hydrants along that new, fire access lane around the north and east side of the building, and that was to meet the maximum, hose distance that the fire department wanted to see for access there," Miller said. Miller also said the lighting plan had been revised offline with township staff and that a revised lighting submittal may explain discrepancies that appeared in the packet materials.

Commissioners pressed the applicant and staff for documentation on several technical points in the packet, including the precise lumens/fixture data for lighting compliance, confirmation of hydrant locations, and a written shared-parking agreement with the property to the west. Several commissioners expressed frustration that some items—particularly fire-engineering stipulations and the parking agreement—were not included in the packet and asked that staff either obtain them before construction or retain them as pre-construction conditions.

The chair moved to approve case 263921 for a 61,580-square-foot building addition with the following conditions: submission of a $5,000 landscape bond prior to construction; submission and county registration of a stormwater maintenance agreement prior to construction; provision of proof of a shared-parking agreement with the property to the west prior to construction; documentation that the lighting meets township requirements before construction; and satisfaction of any other agency-review stipulations such as fire engineering, with required documentation submitted to township staff for record retention. A commissioner voiced support, the commission took a voice vote and the motion carried.

Township staff told the commission they could finalize some technical details administratively if commissioners were comfortable with that approach, and staff indicated they would review lighting, parking and any outstanding engineering items and retain the final documentation as part of the project record. The commission then moved on to other business and adjourned.

What’s next: construction may proceed only after the applicant submits the required bonds, agreements and technical documentation, and after staff has recorded that outstanding agency reviews have been satisfied.