VBT planners postpone action on extension of 21-year-old site plan

River Park II Condos had its site plan approved in 2004 and then was not built. The roads and utilities are in place, but no condos.
At the Nov. 12 meeting of the Van Buren Township Planning Commission, Michael Furnari of Tiburon Holdings was present with a request to build the condos now. After much discussion, the commission postponed a vote on the matter in order to get legal advice and other information on whether it could be built under the 2004 ordinances since much more is required for building permits now.
The site is located on the south side of Ecorse Road between Morton Taylor and Haggerty roads. The development was partially constructed around 2004. The request is to build 74 condos on the unused seven acres, as approved by the township 21 years ago.
Furnari has asked for an extension of the old site plan.
Township planning consultant Vidya Krishnan of McKenna Associates recommended approval of the extension, although a residential site plan is good for one year and then can be extended for one or two more years at the most. She said condo site plans don’t expire. She said the property was split from the developed part and there is a question about the Homeowners Association being separate or not.
Commission vice-chairman Jeff Jahr questioned whether the commission had the legal authority to grant this extension. He asked for a letter of reapproval from Wayne County for the drainage. He said the parcel would not be able to be developed under the new ordinances.
Commission chairman Brian Cullin said he would like to see continuity in the development from the old to the new.
Furnari said he would like to start building in the spring. He said he has been paying property taxes on the 74 parcels and, “I just want to develop my lots.”
“I’ve never seen this before,” Jahr said. “We have some concerns … On the surface it’s not a bad idea.”
The commission unanimously passed a motion to postpone action until they get a letter from Wayne County on water detention, have the staff consult with the township attorney, look into the possibility of putting the parcels back together, and see a comparison of regulations from 2004 compared to those in effect now.
In other business at the two-hour-and-37-minute meeting, the commission:
• Postponed action on a request by Davenport Brothers on behalf of owner Sdukhdev Singh of Chahal Trucking to amend the approved site plan for a repair facility. More information is needed and there was no one present from the applicant to respond to questions;
• Approved a site plan for a dock and stairs for Mission Pointe on the Lake Subdivision Association at 13085 Ventura Dr. Structural steel will replace the 20-year-old wooden structures that have deteriorated. There will also be 10 steel pilings. No slips will be rented and this will be just for daily recreational use, according to the association representative;
• Discussed the proposed drafts for the MRD (Mixed Residential District) and MROD (Mixed Residential Overlay District) and set a public hearing for Jan. 14 on the ordinances;
• Discussed proposed ordinance amendments to control the placement of car washes. A moratorium on car washes is in place until April 7, 2026, but a new car wash has been proposed on Belleville Road and is under staff review. Krishnan said with the Water Works and new Zippy Car Wash on Belleville Road and the application by El Car Wash in the same area, that will make three car washes within one mile of each other. She noted Zax Car Wash in the city of Belleville is within a mile of Zippy, making four in that area; and
• Heard Krishnan say that she would like to see traffic impact studies to be conducted by the township engineers instead of the applicant’s engineer, the way it is now. She said she has never seen an applicant’s study saying something wasn’t feasible. Jahr added that there are no consequences if the study is wrong. Krishnan wants to put this in the car wash ordinance being proposed.