During a three-hour meeting on June 24, the Van Buren Township Planning Commission unanimously approved a final site plan amendment to expand the existing DTE substation at 6845 Denton Rd.
This was a request by applicant YIP Ecorse BTS Partners Development, LLC on behalf of owner Wayne County Airport and is part of Project Venture/Stellantis.
On Jan. 28, the applicant received final site plan approval to construct a 2.1-million-square-foot building with 9.7 acres of outdoor storage during a single development phase upon an undeveloped 354.85-acre parcel owned by the Wayne County Airport Authority.
The site is located on the north side of Ecorse Road, south of Van Born Road, east of Denton and west of Beck Road.
The applicant first amended the final site plan on April 8 to increase the footprint of the guardhouse by 88 square feet and increase the height of the guardhouse by six inches.
This substation expansion was the second amendment sought by the developer.
The expansion will include 9,130 square feet and is within a DTE easement on the site just east of Denton Road and immediately south of Van Born Road. The rest of the site outside of the DTE easement will remain unchanged from the previous site plan reviews and approvals.
The plan proposed the extension of the six-foot-tall chain link fence with a foot of barbed wire at the top. Although McKenna planning consultant Lauren Sayre recommended a black metal security fence instead, after discussion the commission approved the barbed wire fence requested for security.
When asked why this expansion wasn’t part of the original plans, a representative of the developer said they didn’t know how big the substation had to be at the beginning and it was found not to be big enough. He apologized.
A DTE representative said the barbed wire isn’t coiled, but a flat wire mesh that looks like a V when installed.
Fishbeck consulting engineer Paul Kammer said the overall drainage was improved to include this area and they will make sure Wayne County approves the drainage before expansion.
Food truck at gas station
The commission was also asked to approve a temporary land use permit to operate a food truck in the parking lot at the gas station at 41001 E. Huron River Dr. for a year, each Friday through Monday.
Applicant Robert Kecskes, owner of 734 Hibachi and More food truck has been at that corner serving customers for a month, he said.
Under the township ordinance, those seeking approval for temporary land use for more than seven consecutive days or two weekends need to go before the planning commission for permit approval.
Commissioner Medina Atchinson said food trucks are being used throughout the area and the township needs to keep up with the trend that started after COVID. She said the township should be business-friendly and changes are needed in the ordinance. She said nothing in the township’s ordinances specify food trucks.
Commissioner Atchinson said the city of Belleville has food trucks at Five Points and Hayward’s. She said the trucks don’t have the overhead of brick and mortar and businesses are changing.
Commissioner Jeff Jahr said a year isn’t “temporary land use” and it’s an accessory structure. He pointed out the parking lot at that site is crowded now. When the party store put in gas pumps its parking became non-compliant.
He said food trucks are supposed to move around and their appeal is in the variety. He said this request doesn’t meet the requirements and probably should be denied. He said he has nothing against food trucks, but this is not in the right place.
Brittany Williams, planning and zoning specialist, said the ordinance says the township can grant a temporary land use for up to a year.
Commissioner Peter Creal said there has to be a way to make this work. He suggested the staff work with the food truck owner to hopefully get it going.
Ron Akers, director of municipal services, said staff would meet with them the next day and grant a permit for the holiday weekend. Then they would come back to the July 8 commission meeting to spell out the details.
Jahr made the motion to postpone action until the staff can revisit the siteplan and reveal unknown issues. He asked them to act quickly. The motion was seconded by commissioner Bernard Grant and unanimously passed by the commission.
Hotel Height Ordinance amendment
A draft amendment to the Hotel Height Ordinance was discussed and a public hearing set for July 22. The maximum height would be raised from 40 feet to 55 and the requirement canceled for increased setbacks for the higher heights.
Rules and Procedures update
The plan to change the rules and procedures for the commission was set off by a seven-hour recent meeting with a lot of people who spoke over and over again under public comment. A man insisted the time they could each speak was five minutes and then another three. He said it was printed in their rules.
Although commission chairman Brian Cullin said he had been told the time was three minutes and then a minute and a half. He later learned he was wrong.
“I was not aware of what our bylaws said,” Cullin said at the June 24 meeting. “I screwed up, so I apologize. I thought it was three and a minute and a half, but it was five minutes.”
Director Akers had prepared ten pages of an updated set of bylaws for the commission to adopt, which included the three-minute maximum public comment and another minute and a half. The changes were based on the township board’s procedures.
The proposed order of business had public comment at the beginning and end of the agenda, taking out the current public comments on each agenda item.
Commissioners questioned whether it was a good idea to take out each comment period after each agenda item. They did agree that speakers should identify themselves and where they live.
Akers said he would follow up with the township attorney on this, since he believes there is case law saying speakers don’t have to give their addresses.
He said under law you need five votes to change the bylaws.
“I like being consistent with the township board, but we are a different group,” Cullin said. “We deal with different things.”
Commissioner Grant said the commission deals with building questions and their decisions affect people’s lives.
A woman in the audience spoke under public comment saying she didn’t like going with the board method and likes comments after each item is discussed by the commission, before a decision is made.
Jahr noted the commission has to propose what changes it wants to the township board.
He suggested directing the staff to do another draft before the commission approves any changes.
“We want to do it exactly right,” Jahr said.”
Akers said he would bring back a rough draft to the commission.
The commission discussed the rules and procedures for almost an hour before asking for another draft.