Grosse Pointe Farms council approves childcare center, sale and leases for 18850 Mack Avenue

Grosse Pointe Farms City Council on a unanimous vote approved a conditional use permit and final site plan to convert 18850 Mack Avenue into an early-education childcare facility to be operated by an affiliate of 814 Acquisitions LLC.

Mayor Pro Tem Soroka moved approval of the conditional use permit, citing staff memos and McKenna’s review. The council attached conditions including that the approval be personal to the named operator or an approved affiliate and that any material changes to site configuration or operations return to the council for review. City attorney Burgess and McKenna’s representative discussed the zoning standard that permits a conditional use where the proposed facility is “similar in character” to permitted community-service uses.

Developer Bradford Egan told the council the operator intends to open a center with a capacity of 208 children and about 36 staff, and that the applicant proposed 40 parking spaces for staff and drop-off. Egan said his team preferred a marked crosswalk from the leased parking directly to the playground and building entrance and that staff would work with the city on signage and striping.

Councilmembers pressed the applicant on tree removal, safety and access. The McKenna report identified five trees to be removed; the council negotiated a 1:1 diameter replacement requirement and directed the applicant to submit revised landscaping plans identifying trees to remain and trees proposed for removal.

Separately, council approved a purchase agreement to sell 18850 Mack Avenue to 814 Acquisitions LLC for $2,400,000, equal to the city’s purchase price, with conditions intended to preserve the property as a childcare facility and a city right of first refusal for future sales. The council also approved a consolidated lease package: a playground lease with initial rent of $30,000 for year one and a lease of 40 municipal parking spaces starting at $26,400 annually with scheduled escalators.

The council recessed as the Board of Zoning Appeals and granted two variances necessary to adapt the existing nonconforming building and to use leased off-site parking in connection with the childcare operation. The board’s motions included typical findings that strict application of the ordinance would cause practical difficulty and that the requested variances were consistent with the master plan and surrounding uses.

All motions related to the conditional use permit, the final site plan, the purchase agreement and the variances passed unanimously. Council also required the applicant to install pedestrian safety improvements and to provide interior and exterior closed-circuit cameras that retain footage for a minimum of 30 days as a condition of final site plan approval.

Next steps: the developer must submit revised architectural, landscaping and parking plans consistent with the council’s conditions and execute the purchase and lease agreements before construction proceeds.