VBT Planners ask developer to put in sidewalk on MDOT site

There was a lot of discussion at the June 22 meeting of the Van Buren Township Planning Commission over the final site plan for the new drive-through restaurant, filling station and convenience store planned for the northeast corner of Michigan Avenue and Denton Road.
The final site plan was finally approved, but it wasn’t easy.
The actual corner has a small piece of property owned by the Michigan Department of Transportation and the township’s planning consultant wanted the developer to build his sidewalk along Michigan Avenue on the MDOT property.
The sidewalk originally had been along Michigan Avenue, but after comments from Wayne County, the developer relocated it east onto the Willow Creek parcel and about 65 feet from the public right of way.
“We have a problem putting the sidewalks through that [MDOT property],” said Tom Demond of Boss Engineering, spokesman for the developer, Denton Partners, LLC. “We feel it’s not our property. Requiring someone to do upgrades to someone else’s property isn’t legal. We ask the township to petition the state on this.”
The developer was requesting final site plan approval so they could start demolishing the former party store on the site and begin building sometime in July. If the sidewalk stayed on their property it would jog north and enter Denton Road not on the corner of Michigan Avenue but farther north.
Sally Hodges of McKenna Associates planning consultants set out a list of stipulations for the site plan approval, but the discussion centered mostly on the sidewalk.
“We’d be happy to build the sidewalk on their property,” said Demond, adding they would need permission from the state.
Dave Nummer of Wade Trim engineers suggested they just put the sidewalks on the permit they have with MDOT for curb cuts and let them approve the sidewalk.
Hodges said it is highly unlikely MDOT will develop that parcel since it is so small. She said the applicant will end up mowing the grass there, anyway, or it will be blight for the new development.
Commissioner Ronald Jackson, who works as a Transportation Maintenance Coordinator for the MDOT, said he is not speaking for MDOT, but he believes MDOT would be amicable to the proposal for sidewalks.
Commission chairwoman Carol Thompson said she lives in that neighborhood and the Denton/Michigan Avenue crossing is dangerous. A couple of years back the state put in a Michigan-left at the corner to make it safer and people still are not turning properly there. She said having the sidewalk farther north would be a safety problem, because people will just walk on the MDOT grass to the corner, the most direct route.
Demond said the developer wants the township to approach the state and get permission.
Nummer said the township doesn’t want to be in the position of delaying the project by asking for permission from MDOT because then the developer could hold the township responsible.
“The developer puts in the request, never the township,” Commissioner Jackson said.
“Legally you can’t put it on somebody else’s property,” Demond insisted, adding they did already get permission for their driveway from MDOT.
Demond said the developers have complied with all kinds of things the township wanted and, “We’re now asking for one thing and getting no cooperation on this.”
Hodges insisted the applicant should apply to the state. She said it’s not the township’s property. It’s a separate parcel, not road right of way. She suggested the final site plan be approved subject to consulting with the township attorney on the sidewalk.
Demond said he was OK with that and, “Let the attorney decide.”
Hodges said it would be safer if the sidewalk stayed along the roadway to the corner.
“We should put the sidewalk where people would expect a sidewalk to be,” Thompson agreed.
The commission unanimously approved the final site plan after consultation with the attorney and application to the state for permission. “The sidewalk would be in the typical position — subject to the township attorney,” Hodges said.
In other business at the June 22 meeting, the commission:
• Approved preliminary site plan approval for Farmer and Underwood to construct a 6,000-square-foot storage building and related site improvements on its 13.67 acres of property at 7401 Rawsonville Road, where they have been for 35 years. The metal building will be put on the east side of the existing building and, according to Hodges, by bringing things indoors it will clean up the site. They plan to plant 11 red Maples between the street and the site, and the commission waived the 20 additional trees that otherwise would have been required. Nummer said no sidewalk, sewer, or water is required; and
• Approved recommending to the township board rezoning of 1.04 acres of land currently zoned AG (Agriculture) to C (General Business) on the south side of Ecorse Road, west of Hannan. The property is owned by the VBT Local Development Finance Authority, which thinks it would sell better rezoned for business in that area. The LDFA had requested rezoning to C-1 (General Commercial) and the Planning Commission determined that was not consistent with the Master Plan and recommended rezoning to C. VBT Director of Planning and Economic Development Ron Akers, who is handling the rezoning for the LDFA, brought back the request in accordance with the Planning Commission recommendation.