Van Buren Township BZA has no quorum to consider Mike’s Kitchen

Although the Van Buren Township Board of Zoning Appeals was scheduled to consider a setback for upgrades to Mike’s Kitchen at its regular meeting on Jan. 14, there was no quorum so the meeting could not be held.
The BZA meeting to hold the public hearing on the proposed setback change was reset for 7 p.m., Feb. 11.
“We’ll make sure we have a quorum for the next meeting,” said Public Services Director Matthew Best. “I’ll drive around if I have to.”
Director Best said it would also be possible to have a special meeting.
Owner of Mike’s Kitchen, Marash Nucullaj said he would come back whenever they wanted.
Dan Power, VBT’s new director of planning and economic development, said next time there was a meeting, he would call any of the members who didn’t alert him that they were coming.
The Feb. 11 meeting will also include election of officers and approval of the 2020 meeting schedule.
Present at the Jan. 14 meeting were vice chairman Amos Grissett, secretary Bryon Kelley, and Trustee Kevin Martin. Absent were chairman Aaron Sellers; commissioners Robert McKenna, David Senters, and John Haase; and BZA alternates Carmen Stovall and Charles Larocque.
Mike’s Kitchen restaurant at 11511 Belleville Rd. is at the corner of the South I-94 Service Drive and Jeanette Street, on .78 acre.
It has been closed for more than a year.
Vidya Krishnan, planning consultant from McKenna, said in her report prepared for the BZA that it is her understanding the structure suffered severe water damage.
The applicant is seeking a side (south) setback change for the lot line that adjoins the bank next door. The ordinance requires 25 feet and he is requesting a variance of 20 feet for a five-foot setback.
He wants to build additional storage space and improved toilet room spaces.
Krishnan said the existing building, which was constructed in 1972 according to township records, currently already has this five-foot setback, making it non-compliant.
The setback change request was submitted by Joseph Altman on behalf of Nucullaj.
Krishnan said the applicant is proposing to make major renovations to the interior, update the facade, and build additions to accommodate additional storage area and restrooms, which Altman said are required for its functioning. Part of the difficulty is the unusual shape of the parcel, which is an inverted, reversed “L,” Krishnan said.
She had prepared a four-page report with a recommendation to grant the request, with 12 reasons for doing so, including the 12th: “A variance allows for the re-establishment of a long-standing business in the community.”