Belleville Planners approve Davenport Suites site plan

At its regular meeting May 11 the Belleville Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve the site plan for the Davenport Suites project at 337 Main Street.
This will be the first new construction on Main Street in decades. The lot was formerly occupied by Trojan Cleaners that was destroyed in a fire.
After submission of construction drawings to the city and getting permits, Davenport will be able to begin construction of a single-story office building to lease to Moving the Mitten real estate and Edward Jones financial advisors.
The Mitten currently is at 245 Main Street and Edward Jones is on Rawsonville Road near Rite Aid.
“Thank you for everything,” Steve Davenport said after the commission approved his company’s project. “It’s been a long process.”
He added, “I’m proud of it.”
The project is designed by local architect Wayde Hoppe, who spoke for the Davenports at a series of planning commission meetings.
In March, the commission ended up with a tie vote on approval of the project, so it didn’t pass.
In April, the special approval use was reconsidered, some votes were changed and the project was approved.
At the May meeting the board voted 8-0 to approve the site plan. Commissioner Matthew Wagner, an early opponent of the project, was absent.
Earlier in the year, Davenport lobbied to get the ordinance changed so that he could build a single-story building rather than the two stories prescribed in the ordinance. Then, he convinced the commission that the 50% retail prescribed in the ordinance was not possible.
Building official Rick Rutherford presented a site plan review that pointed out details on the plan that needed corrections.
He left the decision on the Red Maple tree up to the commissioners. The tree was proposed over the picnic tables in the back parking area.
“Do you consider Red Maple to be a ‘soft’ maple?” he asked the commissioners in his site plan review. “In researching different types of trees, I found that Red Maple is considered to be very middle-ground as it pertains to the prohibited trees. ‘Soft’ maple is prohibited per Section 5.4.2/3.”
The commission decided the Red Maple would be fine.
“If the plans are approved, my recommendation would be to require a performance bond (guarantee) of $5,000,” Rutherford wrote. “This will cover DTE borings, plantings, etc. that may come up before the project is completed.”
The performance bond was included in the site plan approval.
After voting on the site plan, the commission discussed possible items to add to the Master Plan, which is in the process of being reviewed for an update.
Commissioner Randy Priest said traffic calming and filling in the gaps on sidewalks was discussed by the subcommittee.
Priest said he would like to see a green arrow at Liberty Street and the bridge so people coming south on Belleville Road could safely turn left onto Liberty. He also would like to see stop signs at E. Huron River Drive and Liberty Street, like they put up temporarily for the Strawberry Festival.
Priest said Victory Park is there with lots of children and there’s no way to get across Huron River Drive safely.
Councilman Tom Fielder said 20 years ago the city went to Wayne County to ask for a light with an arrow. He said the city was told when the traffic tie-ups are only one or two hours long, putting a left turn light there would be impeding traffic because that roadway is not always busy.
People would have to sit through the changes of the traffic signal when traffic is flowing smoothly otherwise.
Rutherford said the city has to do a traffic study first before it can ask the county for a different kind of light.
Commissioner Becky Hasen said the light on Sumpter Road at Owen is not timed right and that report was to be turned over to the school transportation office so it could contact the county. It was pointed out that crossing is not in the city.
Commissioner John Juriga said the downtown needs bicycle racks. He said the new library will have them.
“The Davenport building will look nice and will generate foot traffic,” said Commissioner Henry Kurczewski.
“The building will look nice and it will generate foot traffic for restaurants,” said Commissioner Mike Renaud. “They should be happy.”
Commissioner Priest said it had been a good meeting. He said a library is being constructed and now a new building is going in downtown. He said he is very happy to see all this going in Belleville.