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Commission approves site plan for café on Southfield Road contingent on parking variance
Summary
The Planning Commission approved a site plan for a primarily takeout café at 28919 Southfield Road, but the approval is contingent on the property obtaining a parking‑variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals because required spaces cannot be met on site.
The Lathrup Village Planning Commission on Feb. 17 approved a site plan for a new café at 28919 Southfield Road, contingent on the applicant securing a parking variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals.
Staff explained the unit under review has been vacant for more than a decade and that the plaza offers only four on‑site spaces; additional parking is available in a county right‑of‑way and a nearby city lot. Because county right‑of‑way spaces cannot be counted toward the parcel’s required parking under the ordinance, the applicant must request a variance. Staff noted the proposed café will be primarily takeout with limited in‑seat capacity.
The property owner and the prospective operator described delivery operations (alley access with short stops, approximately one weekly delivery for small operators and brief drop‑off times) and said customer turnover is rapid for a takeout model. Staff ran parking calculations and said the site would meet current code only with a sizable variance or a shared‑parking agreement with a nearby large lot, but attempts to secure a shared‑parking agreement were unsuccessful.
Commissioners asked about peak times (Sunday mornings and weekend evenings were discussed) and disability‑accessible parking, and noted the zoning board of appeals is the appropriate body to weigh a parking variance request. After discussion, a motion to approve the site plan contingent on ZBA approval of the requested parking variance passed; the applicant will pursue the variance at the upcoming ZBA/city council session.
Next steps: applicant to bring the parking‑variance request to ZBA; staff flagged wayfinding and public parking signage as possible non‑ordinance improvements to improve lot usage.
