Belleville planners give nod to Davenport apartment complex

Rezoning and site plan approval are still needed for Davenport Brothers Construction to start building its proposed apartment complex at 515 Sumpter Rd., but on Jan. 12 the Belleville Planning Commission got the project started by setting a Feb. 9 public hearing on the rezoning and will consider the site plan at the same meeting.
The site, just north of the Belleville Co-Op apartments for seniors, is zoned IP and needs to be rezoned R-M. There will be 15 apartments in the Belleville site.
Plymouth architect D. Scott Wright explained that the complex will be constructed in three phases. Phase I is in Belleville and will be built first. The connecting Phases II and III will be in a U-shape around the Animal Medical Center of Van Buren veterinarian’s office on the adjoining Van Buren Township site.
Building Official Rick Rutherford said that evening’s proposal was strictly a presentation to get everything started.
Rutherford said Davenport Brothers’ proposed residential development presently is zoned IP – industrial. He said the zoning is multiple dwelling next door at the Co-Op and R-2 in Victoria Commons in the rear. Part of the development is in Van Buren Township.
Rutherford said he feels it would suit the needs of the city and the commission could set a public hearing.
“They want to go at this aggressively and to meet the next building season,” Rutherford said, adding that they want to know if this project is something that could be approved because they would hold off on spending money on the architect and engineers if it wouldn’t be approved.
Rutherford said the site had an old farmhouse and a barn before the site was cleared. He said it never had industrial use.
Architect Wright said a portion of the project is in Van Buren Township and they will work with the township on that part. He said they would construct two- to three-bedroom one-story homes with a large living/dining area. The homes will be laid out in pairs with attached two-car garages. They will be 1,200-square-feet, not counting the garage, and would be slab on grade. The apartments will be rented with Davenport retaining ownership.
Wright said this is the fourth apartment project he has been hired to do and in Southeast Michigan apartments are in huge demand.
He said the rezoning is necessary in Belleville. Van Buren Township has its property master planned as multi-use which will not be a problem.
“Steve is anxious to keep the project moving forward,” Wright said, referring to Davenport who sat silently behind him in the meeting room.
He said Davenport is looking for preliminary approval so he can have Wright and civil engineers working. He said other communities have taken rezoning and site plan approval going along together.
Commissioner Mike Renaud said this site is within 1,000 feet of Owen Intermediate School and marijuana facilities are not allowed to be there, so this is a good use of the property.
Commissioner Renaud asked if they had asked the veterinarian about this because they are changing the zoning. City Project Manager Steve Jones said the vet can read about it in the legal notice on the public hearing required to be published in the newspaper of record.
Commissioner John Juriga addressed Councilman Tom Fielder, who was seated in the audience, asking him to tell the history of why the property along Sumpter Road is so mixed up, with some properties in the city and some in the township.
Councilman Fielder said in 1964, Van Buren Public Schools came to the city of Belleville with a proposal to build what was then South Middle School, but it needed water and sewer and Van Buren Township had none in that area.
The school asked the city to run a line down Owen to the school and that line eventually served the mall and Belle Villa as well. He said in those days the law allowed anyone to have their property annexed by just asking the city and so everyone on the east side of Sumpter Road was asked if they wanted to become part of the city. Some did and some didn’t, Fielder said.
He noted that Dr. Alford did the same with his property and that became Harbour Pointe subdivision.
Fielder said now the law is changed and you can’t do annexations that way. Three entities have to be involved in annexations now, he said.
Davenport said Wright has talked to Van Buren Township’s Dan Power, director of building and economic development, and, “Van Buren is on board with it.”
The public hearing on the rezoning was set for 7 p.m., Feb. 9, and the site plan review will follow at the same meeting. The rezoning recommendation will have to go to the city council for final approval.
“Rezoning and site plan. Is this appropriate at the same meeting?” Renaud asked.
“Is that a problem?” asked Commission chairman Michael Hawkins and Renaud replied it was because he hasn’t had time to review the site plan. He said the commission has been told there will be a “bunch of apartments,” but what kind of people would they appeal to? He later explained he wondered if the apartments would be for senior citizens, since they are single-story, and would they have an age limit and whether children would be allowed.
“We can’t do that,” Jones replied, regarding questioning who would live there.
Wright said Davenport will do background checks on tenants to make sure they can pay the rent.
“Anyone not comfortable with the rezoning?” chairman Hawkins asked the commission and no one expressed a problem. “I didn’t think so,” Hawkins said.
“Who would object?” asked Commissioner Randy Priest.
Hawkins said Rutherford would do the rest in making sure things are done correctly.
Commissioner Becky Hasen had a question on the road and the utilities, such as water lines, and who would own them.
Rutherford said they’ll run their mains and it would be a private system.
Commission vice chairman Matthew Wagner arrived at 7:40 p.m. for the 7 p.m. meeting. Wright was explaining how the bioswale system would drain the site and that would eventually go to the lake.
Fielder said he had talked to Steve Davenport about the project.
“Steve just wants to get going,” Fielder said. “It needs to be rezoned,” he said, noting the industrial zoning doesn’t conform to the master plan and rezoning would make the land more valuable to any developer.
In other business at the one-hour-and-14-minute meeting, the commission:
• Approved the site plan for an accessory structure expansion beyond 10% by Marc Mrocca for his property at 122 South St. He explained expansion was for the structure behind the house with the big “SOAR” sign on it. The 1,000-square-foot accessory structure is to be expanded by 400 square feet. He said the current building is a pole barn with metal siding and a metal roof and the expansion will match that. He said he is a retired mechanical engineer and this site for the most part is a hobby shop. He said he is a licensed builder. He wants to store his two red plow trucks in the building;
• Discussed the ongoing review of ordinances. Jones said Rutherford will have his notes done in a week or so and the subcommittee can start from there and proceed as a subcommittee or with the commission. Jones said they will wait before officials set up the subcommittee;
• Heard City Manager/Police Chief Dave Robinson said he had just witnessed a planning commission operate the way a planning commission should go, understanding the needs of the city’s developer and constraints of the building season. The commission agreed to concurrently get this done to help the developer. That is encouraging people to live and develop here. “The last thing the government wants to be is an impediment to progress,” he said. Robinson said the planning commissioners are now members of the Planning Commission Association and a zoning guide is coming. “I think there’s a potential for a lot of development in the city,” he said, noting this will work in coordination with the city council;
• Heard Commissioner Wagner say he would like to have two weeks to review new plans, “to make sure we dot our I’s and cross our T’s.” He said what they had been given was like the bill in Washington, “Here’s 2,000 pages, read it, get it done in a couple of days.” Rutherford said he thought it was important to get this to the commission quickly, but they can set deadlines. Wagner said he needed more time to study proposals; and
• Heard Hawkins say he would not be present at the Feb. 9 meeting, so Wagner will chair that meeting. He asked Wagner to arrive on time.
New planning commission members Mark Kowalski and Julie Kissel were present for their first meeting. There still is one vacancy on the commission due to the recent resignation of Tom Fielder who has a new position on the city council.