Planning commission approves Shelby Holdings site plan for Michigan and Fourth with multiple waivers

The Village of Shelby Planning Commission voted 5–0 on April 27 to approve a site plan submitted by Shelby Holdings for a proposed building at the corner of Michigan Avenue and W. Fourth Street, including three waivers and administrative follow-up on landscaping.

Village Administrator Phil Morse introduced the application and told commissioners the project met the applicable site-plan checklist requirements but that a lighting plan and a landscaping plan were required under Article 12 of the zoning ordinance; Morse also said the parcel address remains pending until three parcels are combined and a zoning permit is issued. Developer representative Richard Raffaelli presented design renderings and site materials.

Raffaelli described storefront and residential entrances along Michigan Avenue, a separate entrance on Fourth Street, a rear tenant-only entry and a wheelchair-accessible ramp to the storefront to address an incline. He said the rear elevation will carry architectural bump-outs from Michigan Avenue onto Fourth Street and that green spaces will be provided for tenants with pets. The plan shows an enclosed dumpster area that the developer said would be accessible only with a key card to limit non-resident use.

The application included a parking analysis that calculated a requirement of 34 spaces; Shelby Holdings requested a variance from the commission for the number of spaces provided. Raffaelli said the developer proposes angled parking on Fourth Street and indicated assigned spaces or signage for a private lot adjacent to the rail trail; Village staff suggested nine-foot-wide spaces to increase capacity. Planning Commission member Tim Horton asked how the dumpster and parking would be controlled to avoid overflow and non-resident use; Raffaelli said the dumpster will be in a secured area and the lot will be private with assigned spaces or appropriate signage.

The applicant requested two architectural waivers: a 30% reduction in the minimum required clear glass on the second floor, which Raffaelli said was requested for safety concerns for families with small children, and a waiver of the 50-foot minimum public door/entrance frontage on the Fourth Street façade (the façade measures about 78 feet as drawn). Morse told the commission the site meets general zoning district standards, including setbacks and height limits, and that there were no unresolved zoning violations on the subject parcels.

Commissioners also reviewed exterior lighting submitted with the plan, including site, façade and parking-area fixtures. Morse asked whether the fixtures were dimmable because the lot will not have normal parking hours; Raffaelli said the fixtures are not dimmable and that the developer preferred the parking area remain fully lit for tenant safety.

Morse recommended approving the site plan as drawn, recording the requested waivers, approving the lighting plan and allowing the landscaping plan to be approved administratively by the Village Administrator. Planning Commission member Paul Inglis moved to approve the site plan and waivers as recommended; Tim Horton seconded. A roll-call vote followed: Inglis, Horton, Gottschalk, Sutton and Chair Ross Field all voted yes. The motion carried 5–0.

The commission recorded that the landscaping site plan will be submitted later and reviewed administratively by Village Administrator Phil Morse, and that a parcel address will be issued only after the three parcels are combined and a zoning permit is obtained. There were no public comments, no additional member discussion and the meeting was adjourned at 5:56 P.M.