On Monday, April 22nd, City Council held two meetings. A Committee of the Whole to address issues related to the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) and a Public Hearing on the matters of a lot rezone and an ordinance to limit the number of gas stations at intersections.

The Committee of the Whole was scheduled to address concerns shared by the ZBA earlier this year. The Zoning Board of Appeals appointments are made by Council and overseen by Council. Among the concerns were the platform used for receiving and managing information and outdated technology. It was determined that the ZBA will transition to full use of CivicClerk and get new laptops (the current tablets are from the early 2000s and unable to process large documents).

The Public Hearing addressed two issues.

1. Rezone request for the property at 18340 Middlebelt from RUF (Rural Urban Farm) to C1 (Local Business). The property has been used for commercial purposes for decades and the new owners want to continue with commercial use and intend to add to the property. For that reason, the Planning Department encouraged the property owner to request a rezone.

The business is Storm Fitness and Wellness and would be a health club with a public lounge area. The current building on the property is being renovated and there are intentions to add at least one additional building. Find business details here: https://livoniami.portal.civicclerk.com/…/attachment/12123

A few residents attended to express concerns about the extension of a business in their yards and concerns about light pollution.

Council moved forward with four motions that will be considered at the May 20th Council meeting: A complete approval, a partial approval (a portion of the lot would remain RUF), a denial, and committee of the whole.

2. An ordinance to limit gas stations to two per intersection in the city with an exemption for Schoolcraft and I-96 will move forward.