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Planning commission approves parking waiver for 33431 Grand River to allow upstairs apartments
Summary
The Farmington Planning Commission approved a parking-waiver request for 33431 Grand River Avenue, allowing conversion of the building's upper floor into up to five apartments after staff and commissioners concluded nearby public parking meets the ordinance's 500-foot criterion; approval is conditioned on the first floor remaining low-intensity commercial or office use.
The City of Farmington Planning Commission voted to approve a parking-waiver request for 33431 Grand River Avenue, clearing the way for the owner to convert the building's upper floor into four to five apartments while retaining ground-floor commercial space.
Planner Adriana told commissioners the existing photography studio and the proposed mixed-use conversion both calculate to roughly a 30-space parking demand under current zoning formulas; under those provisions, up to five apartments would require 10 spaces while the first-floor commercial use would require about 20. "There is really no change in the parking demand from converting it from a photography studio to what the applicant wants to do," Adriana said.
Applicant Steve Toth, who described the project as a roughly 4,500-square-foot second floor of custom apartments above retained retail, said he needs "10 spots" for tenants and asked the commission to grant the waiver. Commissioners pressed about a site test-fit and whether the alley and other nearby lots are within the code's 500-foot threshold for off-site public parking to be counted. Staff confirmed a public lot behind the church and angled street parking are within 500 feet and noted portions of the municipal lot are untimed.
Citing the proximity and capacity of public parking, a commissioner moved to approve the waiver "subject to the first floor being used for commercial retail and or service office business because the proposed uses can be adequately supported by the public parking." The motion was seconded and commissioners voiced assent.
Staff clarified the approval's scope: if the ground floor later proposes a more intensive use such as a restaurant, the applicant would need to return for further review or a different approval pathway.
What happens next: the waiver is approved with the condition on first-floor use; any change to a higher-intensity ground-floor use will require further commission review.
