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Plymouth board approves most Heartland Art Center renovation permits; alley closure for masonry work tabled
Summary
The Board of Public Works and Safety approved requests to place a dumpster, erect an 8‑ft construction fence with a 5‑ft pedestrian path, and allow permanent bollards (pending site check), and approved a short crane/roof lift. The board tabled an eight‑week alley closure for masonry restoration to explore alternatives to long closures.
Representatives for the Heartland Art Center presented a package of requests Feb. 9 for renovation work spanning April 2026 through October 2027. Brent Martin and Anna Kitsman asked the Board of Public Works and Safety for permission to place a dumpster on North Michigan Street during early demolition; the board approved that request by roll call.
Request two — installation of an 8‑ft temporary construction fence with a maintained 5‑ft pedestrian path along the curb for facade work (June 1, 2026–Sept. 30, 2027) — was also approved.
Request three sought installation of four permanent steel bollards at the rear (east) alley to protect downspouts, an electrical cabinet and other utilities. Board members and staff debated whether the bollards would change the alley’s usable width and whether the right‑of‑way or a utility easement was implicated. Ty Adley (planning) explained that the alley driving lane would remain about 14 feet where poles were moved into a utility easement; the board approved the bollards contingent on Adley’s site check to confirm adequate clearances.
The applicant asked to close the alley for masonry restoration for up to eight weeks between May and October; residents and an architect advised using a mobile lift rather than permanent scaffolding so closures could be limited to work days. Given concerns about deliveries, trash pickup and the prolonged closure’s impacts on neighboring businesses and the redevelopment plan for nearby townhomes, the board voted to table request four to let applicants pursue alternatives.
The board approved request five — a two‑day alley closure and crane lift to set rooftop HVAC equipment — with a stipulation to avoid trash pickup days. Request six (a canopy extending into the downtown overlay right‑of‑way) was withdrawn from the agenda after staff explained it was allowed under the downtown overlay and required no board permission.
Board members instructed the applicant to coordinate timing with businesses and trash haulers, and to allow an inspector and planning staff to confirm dimensions before final permits are issued.
