City planners set up sub-committee to look at roof dining downtown

The Belleville Planning Commission talked for more than an hour at its Sept. 13 meeting about future projects and then set up two sub-committees to concentrate on two issues presented.
Reportedly Egan’s Pub on Main Street has said it would like to have a dining area on its roof and so a sub-committee was set up to look into the city’s outdoor dining and seating ordinance.
The sub-committee is made up of Mike Hawkins, Becky Hasen and Kelly Bates.
City Manager Diana Kollmeyer said that the city currently has two ordinances for outdoor dining next to the building only, a minor ordinance with no liquor and a major ordinance with liquor.
Bates said they should talk to Egan’s on what they would like to see.
A second sub-committee was set up to study the B-2 business zoning district in the downtown. Serving on that sub-committee will be Mike Renaud, Randy Priest, and possibly Henry Kurczewski, who was not present but will be asked.
At the beginning of the meeting, Renaud said they need to look at the use and basis for selecting businesses for the downtown. There is a vague interpretation of what was office and what was retail.
He said before the next build-up comes along in the city — possibly at Third and Main — they need to focus on B-2 zoning.
Hawkins said they need to beef up their definitions. He said the entire section that borders the lake along Main has no rear access for parking because of the lake.
He said maybe there should be a waterfront district. Perhaps they should research having a new zone.
Commission chairman Steve Jones they would need to find out what process would be needed to add a new zone.
Jones said maybe they should look at the amount of signage some places have on the lakeside, referring to Hayward’s.
Building Official Rick Rutherford said a lot of Hayward’s signage is below the 655 line and Jones said that would be in Van Buren Township’s jurisdiction.
“A sign is a sign,” said John Juriga.
This would come up in a “border-lake” district discussion, Jones said.
The commission decided to focus on the outdoor dining and B-2 ordinance with the two sub-committees, but other issues were proposed for future sub-committees.
One was murals. Renaud said that Reg Ion has been writing on Facebook about getting a mural for the Kassab building that now is an orange wall.
He said outsiders from Van Buren Township are discussing Belleville issues and they don’t know what they are talking about.
Jones said Detroit had allowed murals because they thought that was better than looking at dilapidated buildings. Now there is a big dispute in Detroit on public art.
Priest said in May he brought up the problem of the city not having an ordinance officer and Jones said an ordinance officer is not something the planning commission has responsibility for.
Priest said they want to make the city walkable and so they need sidewalks where there are none now.
“I see Rick every day on the job, working on the library,” Juriga said. “It takes a lot of his time.”
Jones suggested commissioners make a list of ordinance violations that could be addressed when there is time.
“I pay a couple hundred dollars a year in taxes,” Priest said. “I should just park my boat in my driveway like everyone else.”
“The city said they can’t afford an ordinance officer,” Jones said. “A lot of people don’t know what the rules are. When somebody moves in, we don’t hand everyone a list of the rules.”
Jones said to give a list of violations to Rutherford or Kollmeyer.
Kollmeyer said there are three to four members of this board that are in city hall several times a week, so concerns could be reported. She said Rutherford is at the library four hours a day, these days.
Jones said the city council has what they call a “follow-up list” and violations could be a “quasi follow-up list.”
“We all know Kassab’s property is an issue,” Jones said.
Dumpster enclosures were discussed and boat parking as ongoing issues.
Jones said both townships want to have continued meetings with each other and the city, but there was no time during the summer.
“We could start that up again,” Jones said. “Both planning commissions voiced a desire to have more joint meetings.”
Rutherford said the city cannot put in sidewalks wherever it wants.
“I don’t want to talk about Northville or Saline like we want to be like,” Priest said. “This is like a podunk if everything’s cut up. It’s a basic thing for a civilized city. It’s not a fortune to put in a sidewalk.”
“We can definitely put it on our list,” Jones said.
Priest listed two addresses and Rutherford said the issue is way beyond putting in a sidewalk. He said that area is two feet below the road surface and drainage would have to be put in. “It’s a big can of worms,” he said, noting the county would have to put in the drainage.
“Every time there’s a rain event, there’s standing water there,” Rutherford said.
Jones said a sidewalk is supposed to be above road grade.
He said if the city council wants the planning commission to tweak the sidewalk ordinance they can refer it to the commission.
Priest said he went over the problems with the sidewalks with the city council in May and they said maybe the ordinance should be tweaked.
Kollmeyer said the city council said if you want to look at it, go ahead. But the commission needs an official request from the council. She said the commission has not had a meeting in three months because there was no need.
“We are powerless,” Jones said. “We want to know what the problem is … if they want it solved.”
“And, it has to go to the attorney,” Kollmeyer said.
“Process-wise our hands are tied,” Jones said.
Another issue which could be addressed by a sub-committee is the sign ordinance, which Jones referred to as a “three-headed monster.”
In other business the planners:
• Voted unanimously to move its regular meeting time to 7 p.m., starting with the October meeting;
• Heard that an open dialog on food trucks should be held. Kollmeyer said the DDA is bringing a coffee truck to Victory Park in October. “We don’t want to step on the restaurants,” Kollmeyer said. She said School Supt. Pete Kudlak said he wouldn’t be opposed to having it coming to the school; and
• Heard Kollmeyer mention that Carmen Stovall from Crafted: Modern Handmade in the Secretary of State strip mall has announced she is moving to the former Belle’s location and would like to put in a coffee shop.