Davenport gets OK to construct office building at 337 Main

After more than an hour and a half of discussion, the Belleville Planning Commission at its April 13 meeting voted 7-2 to approve the appeal of Davenport Development to construct a one-story office building at 337 Main Street.
The special use request had been turned down on a 4-4 tie at the March 9 meeting of the commission, when Commissioner Kelly Bates was on vacation in Florida. Davenport asked for reconsideration by the full board and that’s what he got.
Davenport’s architect Wayde Hoppe presented the appeal and pointed out weaknesses in the city’s ordinances.
Davenport had brought along business owners and members of the Belleville Area Chamber of Commerce, as well as other supporters. The city meeting room was packed and extra chairs had to be brought in to accommodate the crowd.
When it came time to vote, Commissioners Henry Kurczewski and Becky Hasen changed their March “no” votes to “yes” votes and Bates voted “yes” as well, which approved the proposal on a 5-2 vote. Commission chairman Steve Jones and Commissioner Matthew Wagner stuck to their “no” votes.
At issue was whether to follow the ordinance that was aimed at bringing more retail business to town and limiting office space. Steve Davenport said he had tried to get retail to commit to a lease, but was unsuccessful. Two local businesses, however, were interested in moving into the new building and leases were required to get bank loans for the construction.
Moving the Mitten real estate, now located at 245 Main, needs a larger location because of growing business. Edward Jones financial, now on Rawsonville Road, wants to move into the city and its director already sits on the Belleville Downtown Development Authority representing the Chamber.
Architect Hoppe presented a new drawing of the proposed building that will be built from property line to property line. He also presented photos of all of the businesses on that side of Main Street from Third to Fourth streets.
Hoppe had put together a chart calculating the actual percentage of office space vs. retail. He figured with and without the now-vacant Davenport office project. It was unclear where vacant lots figure into the calculations.
He wound up his remarks with reasons why the commission should approve the office building.
“Of the nine businesses on the block, Davenport will be the only development that satisfies” the ordinance, Hoppe said.
Hoppe said Moving the Mitten and Edward Jones wish to be in the new building, while other businesses, including Mammoth Video and Sugar Plum candy store are closing. Building on Main Street would turn that trend around.
He said Davenport is willing to invest in downtown Belleville and has invested thousands of dollars in Belleville in the past.
Chairman Jones said if Davenport had bought across the street, “the Pentamaki property,” there wouldn’t be this problem since there are few offices on that block.
Hoppe said he cannot speculate on why Davenport bought the property it did and that is not the question.
Commissioner Michael Renaud said Hoppe demonstrated that the commission has to go back and change the ordinance and “parsed it down to individual syllables.”
“I really think this is the right thing to do and the project should proceed,” Renaud said. “Vacant lots are for another discussion when we update the ordinance.”
Commissioner John Juriga said the property at 337 Main has been sitting there vacant for 14 years and nobody wanted to buy it, except for an attempt by the Belleville Area Council for the Arts that fell through.
Juriga said the commission has to look at what is best for the city and he goes along with pursuing the proposed construction.
Commission vice chairman Michael Hawkins, who threatened to quit the commission after the March meeting that turned down the project, pointed out the Davenport building will be the only building in town that follows the ordinance.
“It’s important we get one building in place that meets the criteria we set in 2013,” Hawkins said.
DPW/Building Official Rick Rutherford said the ordinance is a living document and it has to be tweaked along the way. He said considering the “vacant land” detail is one problem.
“We’re going to have some growing pains as we attract development,” Rutherford said.
Hoppe pointed out the front façade of the new building meets the ordinance and it will be built from property line to property line. The front will match the average setback of others on the block, he said. Also, there will be 14 parking spaces in the back with appropriate-size aisles.
Hawkins said there are permitted uses for banks and financial institutions and Edward Jones could be a financial institution or a financial service. He said the ordinance needs fine tuning.
Commissioner Randy Priest said the responsibility for attracting retail to the community is a shared responsibility, not just for one person. He said the old Master Plan apparently expired.
“I’ve not heard a convincing argument against it,” Priest said, referring to the project. “It’s a very attractive building… I’m waiting to hear an argument.”
Juriga said there are 1,759 chains of stores closing in the U.S. because retail customers are changing. He said people now go shopping on line in their jammies.
“Retail is dying,” Juriga said. “It might come back, but I can see its impact now.”
Juriga made a motion to approve the project and Jones said the commission hadn’t finished commenting on the proposal.
Jones said one of his concerns in granting the project is that he struggles with how the commission is going to turn down other special use approvals.
“We’re over the amount of office space on that side of the street… There are conflicting ideas,” he said.
“I appreciate the rendering,” Jones said referring to Hoppe’s drawing. “I was disappointed last month.”
Jones said the approval of the special use opens the door to gas stations, medical marijuana shops, a dispensary.
“This is an acceptable use for this location,” Renaud said. He said the marijuana statement referred to a rezoning. He said the city is going to rescind its zoning for medical marijuana so the whole city will be free of that.
Jones said the city is over the office space allowed under the ordinance.
“I wouldn’t want to put retail offices downtown,” began Commissioner Bates in her first comments on the project. “What are we doing to bring in retail? My initial idea is we don’t want office space downtown … but we’re not working to bring retail downtown…” She referred to the slogan she proposed to the city council inviting people to “Come Across the Bridge” to discover the charm of Belleville.
Hoppe said the development of retail grows around where the people sleep and work. At lunch time employees go out for lunch and that forms a need and so they build a restaurant. You buy groceries wherever your house is, Hoppe added.
Jones said a residential downtown is necessary and that’s why he was disappointed when the city got rid of the second-floor requirement.
Renaud said both the companies at Davenport’s new building will bring people into the city. He said there is a diversity of businesses in the city. He said this is a worthwhile variance.
“We don’t need more barber shops, insurance…” he said.
Commissioner Wagner said as far as diversity goes, Belleville has real estate offices, but no financial adviser.
“We’re trying to bring people downtown… and retain them here … we need to model on Plymouth,” Wagner said, adding the city needs youth-oriented businesses. “Dude’s had problems after a while, but it was a place for kids to go.”
Juriga said, talking about bringing people to town, he was at The Mitten and there were four closings in one day. Some of the people said they didn’t even know Belleville was here and didn’t know what a beautiful area Belleville was. He said Edward Jones also draws people.
“They are coming here because they have some money,” Priest said, referring to the Edward Jones clients.
Priest said if the Mitten moves and vacates the place it has, that opens up another opportunity for another business.
“How do we deny the next person?” Jones asked. “We’re limiting office space.” He said they loosened up the rules to allow some offices on the ground floor. After that the second floor was no longer required.
Wagner said the commission told the woman who bought the former Chesley Odom building that she had to stay two story and he voted no.
Juriga said they had been discussing this for over an hour. “Can we have a vote?”
Jones said they have to hear from the rest of the commission and then the audience.
Hawkins said they changed from the two-story requirement.
Wagner said he, Jesse Marcotte, and Hawkins were on the committee and he and Marcotte thought it should stay two stories. When it was presented to the full commission, Wagner said he and Marcotte weren’t there and Hawkins told the commission that one story was suggested and it passed.
Councilman Marcotte, who was named to the council at that point, was present at this meeting and he said the subcommittee had gone back to the commission to gave their ideas. It was his last planning commission meeting. At the next meeting, when he was gone, the commission made its decision on the second floor.
He said the city needs more collaboration with business owners and he was glad they were present that evening.
“Jesse and I agreed,” persisted Hawkins.
“This proposed project was one of those that were affected,” Rutherford said of the action to not require a second floor.
When the comments were opened up to the audience, Jeff Vernon spoke of his candy shop closing. He said the idea to bring in businesses to see the city is better than Winter Fest, Strawberry Fest, and Floppy Bunny all combined.
He said businesses are choked out by the city regulations. He said when he has said that before, commission members rolled their eyes like they are doing now.
“Businesses aren’t open late because there are no people,” he said. “Events are blocking the businesses off and people are not coming.”
“What is it going to benefit you to have a building? Not have a building?” he asked. He said they are going to readjust their candy shop and it will be viable somewhere else.
Councilman Tom Fielder said the city council asked the planning commission to consider looking at regulations and it would be naïve to think it wasn’t for a specific project. He encouraged the Chamber members present to give the city ideas on the downtown.
“This isn’t the time – six years later – to say you shouldn’t have done something,” Fielder said. “Retail is not as definable as it was before,” he said, noting times are changing.
“What effect is, basically, a library going to have? I don’t know,” he said.
A representative of the Mitten, who did not identify herself other than as “I’m the one with the passion,” said they bring people in for closings and then go to Egan’s and the people love the Celtic Sticks and come back for that.
The Women’s Club usually get 200 people for their fashion show and this year there were 250. She said they invited women to this event.
“If we could be in a bigger place we could sell more houses,” she said, noting they sold 300 houses last year and they get referrals every day.
“Please let us grow. Please let us bring more people in,” she said.
“You have a roomful of people who say they want you to support this. We will bring more people if we have more space,” she said.
“I hope everybody’s good with anything is better than nothing,” Jones said.
“People come from all over, 30-40 appointments a week,” the Mitten representative said. “Most are not from Belleville, but they go into Belleville.”
Jones said his comment was not anything against the two businesses. He said by making too many exceptions to the plans for downtown after they have pushed to limit things, they can’t call things out.
“I agree. I would like new development,” Jones said.
Keith Johnston, president of the Van Buren Public Schools Board of Education, introduced himself as chairman of the Romulus Downtown Development Authority. He said the hardware store in Romulus just closed after more than 50 years and the grocery store closed.
“Rules are not a good excuse to me,” Johnston said. “Davenport has been a good neighbor. I think it would be good to approve this.”
John Winters of Egan’s Irish Pub said they are in a building constructed in 1885 and came to Belleville 15 years ago. He said Egan’s brought traffic to Main Street. He said he’s never wanted Belleville to be like Plymouth because he lived in Plymouth and saw all the turmoil it went through to get it where it is today. He suggested Belleville build the businesses downtown and wait for the people to come.
A speaker who identified herself as Jessica said she was representing both hotels in Van Buren Township. She said a lot of people stay there when relocating for work. When they say they are tired of fast food, the hotel van brings them over the bridge to Belleville’s restaurants.
She said Hyundai and Google are hiring. Walmart is remodeling all their stores. These business people come in and stay a long time and hang out, she said.
Mark Mrocca, a retired mechanical engineer, is now a property manager. He said he bought 122 South Street (the former Progressive/law office). He said he had served as vice chair of the VBT Planning Commission.
He said Hoppe is right about where people shop.
“Your dogma, why you are so against this is a mystery to me,” Mrocca said.
Fielder said when Aerotropolis was being formed, it designated Belleville as a cultural/recreational spot.
Shelly Brown Chudzinski of Brown Funeral Home said vacant land does not bring people.
“We need to support them and any issue after that take individually,” she said.
“There are enough discrepancies in the ordinance,” Hoppe said. “Either approve it or have them wait until the ordinance is clarified.”
“We’re trying,” Jones said.
Colette McClinton of Garden Fantasy on Main said she is a newer business owner but she has been living in the city for 29 years and downtown hasn’t changed a lot in all that time.
She said something that brings jobs to the community can’t go wrong. She said there were “a lot of positive vibes in this room.” She said they agree in a Belleville to live in and thrive in.
“We’re usually speaking to an empty room,” Jones said. “There’s no one here or there’s one person… We do research on our own … and get input from our planning consultant (who is not with us tonight)… I like to see a full house and have lots of discussion.
“We want business owners here so we can hear your opinions, so everyone is on the same page,” Jones said.
“If you want to be Plymouth, approve this tonight and wait,” Winters said.
“We want to be Belleville,” Jones replied.
“Work for change, work for changes,” Winters said.
City Manager Diana Kollmeyer said a request for a special meeting was filed immediately after the March tie vote that rejected the proposal. She said she checked and they wouldn’t have had a full board.
Juriga called again for the vote and the proposal passed 7-2, with Jones voting no and adding, “I’m sticking with the ordinance.”
Jones said he expects the site plan review on the project to be at the May 11 meeting.
After the vote all the people present to support the proposal left the meeting room although the meeting was not over.
The April 13 meeting lasted another 45 minutes as the commission discussed Master Plan update committee meetings and suggestions on what to focus on.
The committee removed from the plan both the old pump house, which is going to have to be destroyed, and the suggestion of a water tower. Citywide WiFi could be coming with the cooperation of the library and other businesses. Sidewalk upgrades will be starting in May.
Commissioner Kurczewski had been asked to get information on the area from SEMCOG and he got a huge amount of up-to-date statistics to share.
When Kollmeyer was asked if there was any money for consultants to help with the Master Plan update, she said there wasn’t yet.
“We could have taken donations tonight,” Commissioner Hasen said. “Most of those people hang out at the BYC.” She referred to the crowd that had just left.
“I’m glad this is over,” she said, holding her head.
Hawkins said the commission should not skip any meetings for lack of agenda until this ordinance is fixed.
Kollmeyer said, “This is a living document. We had total guidance from Birchler Arroyo for this…”
“I think we did the right thing,” Juriga said of the Davenport projects.
“According to the rules we have, my position is that it was not under the rules,” Jones said. “Development downtown is always a good thing. I hope the face of our downtown comes out the way we hoped it would… I’m OK with the decision. Some very good points were highlighted.”
“God bless you and thank you for your service,” Fielder said to the commissioners.
“It was a passionate discussion and I am thankful that they came,” Marcotte said of the crowd.
Vernon said he had a small part in getting that crowd in.
“It took a lot of effort,” Vernon said. “You represent the city well.”