During the April 23, three-and-a-half-hour meeting of the Van Buren Township Planning Commission, commissioners approved preliminary site plans for Chick-fil-A, a rebuilding of McDonalds, and a site-plan amendment for Upland Hills Country Walk.
However, it wrestled with site plans for Autokiniton’s new canopy and Contract Welding’s new building, postponing any action for Autokiniton and approving the site plan for the already constructed Contract Welding building, with a lengthy, convoluted motion.
After a public hearing during which no public spoke, the commission approved sending the request on to the township board for final action on a special land-use request by Chick-fil-A, for a drive-thru restaurant in a Menards outlot.
The commission also approved the prelimary site plan for the new restaurant on 2+ acres which will share the access drive to the north with Walgreens for entry. There will be no direct access to Belleville Road.
Planning consultant Vidya Krishnan of McKenna Associates said there have been months of revisions and now the plans work.
Krishnan said the building is traditional red brick with a flat roof canopy. The commission approved their request to allow outdoor furniture all year since it will be bolted down and to use river rock with some patches of ornamental grass.
Paul Kammer from Fishbeck Engineers said the underground detention pond from Menards was planned to include this site.
The representative of the franchise said they will donate $25,000 to a local charity to fight hunger. They will bring in a grand-opening team to run the “honeymoon” period of the opening because it generally brings a crowd. They will also bring in employees from other locations to help with the crowd. He said they designed stacking on their property, but some might go over to the Menards property for the honeymoon period.
He said Chick-fil-A is building restaurants in Canton and Ann Arbor with about the same building schedule as the Van Buren site. Another restaurant is going up in Hartland and others throughout Michigan.
Leslie Accardo of the PEA Group was present on behalf of owner Belleville North Venture.
Rebuilding McDonalds
Applicant Tanya Momchev was present to ask for preliminary site plan approval on behalf of the McDonalds Corporation to tear down the 40-year-old building and rebuild McDonalds at 10760 Belleville Rd.
The 1.33-acre site is retaining the two access points on Belleville Road, but the exit lane will have a right-turn-only sign. There will also be a northern curbcut to the shopping center boulevard and those wishing to go north on Belleville Road can exit on the north drive.
McDonalds will add an underground onsite waste management system and must go through the county for this, Kammer said.
Dan Olson, project manager, said there are 26-onsite stacking spaces for vehicles and that is more than enough for their double drive thru. When Krishnan questioned why they need water and electricity at the outdoor shed, Olson said it’s for a hose and for an inside light in the shed to turn on to see what’s inside.
He said it will take four months to tear down and rebuild the restaurant and they hope to get it done this year.
Momchev said this is the third-generation building at the site.
Commissioner Jeff Jahr reported that in 1978, the VBT Board of Zoning Appeals gave approval for the pole sign and that approval goes with the property and they get to keep the sign.
Autokiniton (former L&W)
The contractor hired to build a canopy addition over an existing scrap dumpster for Autokiniton at 6201 Haggerty Rd. was present to represent the company at its request for preliminary and final site plan approvals for the project.
Adam Tabit of Lee Contracting, Inc. was present but unable to answer questions on all the outdoor storage piled all the way to I-275 at the site.
The request was for a free-standing canopy and no color rendering was provided and no one from the was company present.
“He’s just building the canopy and 10,000 square feet of auto parts are put here,” Krishnan said. “He’s left answering. No. Somebody from the company should have been here.”
“The final site plan is supposed to be perfect,” commission Jahr said, pointing out there is no recommendation from the fire department and he would like to see a motion to delay. “I need something to approve,” he said. “He can build the canopy eventually.”
Chairman Brian Cullin and commissioner Bernie Grant agreed the commission needs someone from the owners to answer the questions.
“Those are violations the township could press against the owner,” Jahr said of the outdoor storage situation, adding, he wouldn’t recommend that right now.
The motion was made by Jahr, seconded by Treasurer Sharry Budd to postpone the request until there is information for approval available. It was unanimously approved.
Director of municipal services Ron Akers said the planning staff has meetings each Tuesday and Thursday and they could meet with the owners to work out discrepancies.
Contract Welding
Tom Tinsley of Contract Welding was present to seek preliminary site plan approval for a building at 385 Sumpter Rd. at Industrial Park Drive, but when the commission learned the building was already up with a roof on it, and fully in use, commissioners were upset.
Krishnan explained the procedure and said although she is not recommending the building be taken down, there are 17 stipulations for the site which is part of the Sumpter Road Overlay District.
Engineer Kammer said he has two sets of plans for the new hydrants for the water main extension, one in October 2022 and one in December 2024 and he said both are good, but he wants to know which one is correct. The water detention system is part of the Victoria Commons system, he said.
Part of the Contract Welding property is in the city of Belleville and part in Van Buren Township.
Tinsley said he had hip replacement three weeks earlier. He sat through three hours of the meeting before they got to his part.
He said Contract Welding is a 61-year-old family business and he had been letting the construction manager handle their project to replace a wooden pole barn that was falling down, but he has found it wasn’t done right and he wants to do it right.
He said Van Buren Township issued a permit for the foundation and it was put in with inspections and got approval.
Commissioner Grant said then the building was completed but never approved.
Director Akers said the department no longer issues a foundation permit in that manner.
“We’re not approving a building,” said Treasurer Budd. She said the minutes will say we’re giving permission to build a building that’s already built.
“The wording is wrong,” said commissioner Peter Creal. “How do we get him back on track?”
Tinsley said he removed an 8,000 square foot structure and put up a metal structure of 12,000 square feet. He said he didn’t think replacing his building would be a problem.
“We’re also asking you for a lot of site plan improvements,” Jahr said.
Krishnan said Tinsley has been working with the township to make it right.
Commissioner Medina Atchinson urged the commission to work forward.
Akers said he still needs to get a plan and have the building inspected.
“We don’t want people to think in Van Buren Township you can do this,” commissioner Grant said.
Jahr said this is the second development in the new Sumpter Road Overlay District and for him to have only 17 things he has to do is pretty good.
Tinsley said when they had problems, they moved their parking to the city of Belleville side of their property.
One of the stipulations was for Contract Welding to put a bike rack and possibly a bench at the front of their property and Tinsley said that wouldn’t be a problem and just tell him what they want.
“We’re welders. We build bike racks,” he said, adding, “I’ve seen what the DDA pays for art and I wish I could do that and make a lot of money. It’s just like our junk from out back.”
The commission then approved a long, involved, detailed and convoluted motion that essentially approved preliminary site plan with stipulations.
“Van Buren Township has to monitor its processes, so it’s not all on you,” Grant said to Akers.
Upland Homes Country Walk
On the final item on the agenda, the commission took five minutes to hear the request and grant a site plan amendment for Upland Homes in Country Walk so it can add a 1,700-square-foot ranch home to its other approved two-story homes. The representative from Upland Homes said young people and retired folk both like the ranches and they are selling well.
Commissioner Randall Pahle was absent and excused from the meeting.