[00:00:23] OK. WELL, IT IS 6:30 BY MY WATCH. I'M GOING TO GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED AND CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER. [Items 1 & 2] WELCOME TO THE MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS MEETING. TODAY IS WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8TH 2021 AND I WILL START WITH A ROLL CALL AND I'LL START TO MY RIGHT. I DON'T KNOW HOW ELSE TO SAY THAT, BUT MEMBER HENDRICKSON. PRESENT. AND MEMBER OPSOMMER. PRESENT. AND CHAIRMAN MANSOUR IS PRESENT. WE HAVE A THREE PERSON BOARD TODAY. I BELIEVE THAT THAT MEANS THAT WE HAVE TO HAVE UNANIMOUS VOTING IN ORDER TO HAVE A QUORUM. RIGHT. OK, SO JUST SO WE ALL KNOW THE RULES GOING FORWARD FOR OUR CASES TODAY. FIRST UP IS APPROVAL OF OUR AGENDA. HOPEFULLY, EVERYBODY GOT A CHANCE TO TAKE A LOOK. MEMBER HENDRICKSON. CHAIR MANSOUR IS A YES. MEMBER HENDRICKSON. YES. MEMBER OPSOMMER. YES. OK, THE AGENDA PASSES. WE'LL MOVE ON TO RATIFICATION OF THE MINUTES FOR WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10TH 2021. [3. CORRECTIONS, APPROVAL AND RATIFICATION OF MINUTES] I MOVE THE APPROVAL OF MINUTES. SUPPORT. SUPPORTED MOTION BY MEMBER HENDRICKSON, SUPPORTED BY MEMBER OPSOMMER. AND WE WILL GO TO A VOTE. CHAIRMAN MANSOUR, YES. TRUSTEE OPSOMMER. YES. GOT IT ALL BACKWARDS HERE IN MY NOTES. MEMBER HENDRICKSON. YES. SO THE MINUTES ARE APPROVED. WE WILL GO NEXT TO COMMUNICATIONS, WHICH I SEE NONE OF IN THIS PACKET. SO NEXT WE WILL GO TO UNFINISHED BUSINESS. [5.A. ZBA CASE NO. 21-10-27-1 (Loveridge & Dohr), 2050 Sheldrake Avenue, Okemos, MI, 48864] WHICH BRINGS US TO ZBA CASE NUMBER 21-10-27-1 LOVERIDGE AND DOHR 2050 SHELDRACK AVENUE, OKEMOS, MICHIGAN 48864. AND I WILL TURN IT OVER TO MR. CHAPMAN. GOOD EVENING SO THE APPLICANT REQUESTED THE NOVEMBER 10TH 2021 MEETING TO TABLE THEIR REQUEST TO CONSTRUCT A TWO AND A HALF STORY SINGLE FAMILY HOME AT 6074 COLUMBIA STREET. THE REQUEST AT THAT TIME WAS FOR A 14-FOOT FRONT YARD SET BACK, TWO AND A HALF FOOT SIDE YARD SET BACK ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE PROPOSED HOUSE AND DRIVEWAY COVERAGE OF 69.7 PERCENT. SO THE APPLICANT HAS SINCE SUBMITTED A REVISED PLAN TO ADDRESS SOME OF THE COMMENTS THAT THE ZBA MEMBERS HAD AT THAT MEETING. SO THE CANOPY ON THE WEST FAÇADE WAS REMOVED TO CHANGE THE VARIANCE FROM 14 FEET TO 16 FEET FROM THE FRONT PROPERTY LINE ON COLUMBIA STREET. THE LAKE LANSING OVERLAY DISTRICT REQUIRES A MINIMUM FRONT YARD SETBACK OF 20 FEET. THE DRIVEWAY COVERAGE WAS REDUCED FROM 69.7 PERCENT TO 65 PERCENT. THIS WAS DONE BY NARROWING THE DRIVEWAY WIDTH FROM 23.75 FEET TO 22 FEET, AND THE LAKE LANSING OVERLAY REQUIRES LOTS THAT ARE LESS THAN 65 FEET TO HAVE A MAXIMUM OF 50 PERCENT COVERAGE FOR THE DRIVEWAY IN THE FRONT YARD. THE SOUTH CANOPY THAT WAS PREVIOUSLY PROPOSED WILL BE REMOVED THAT WILL NO LONGER REQUIRE A VARIANCE. INSTEAD, A ROOF WILL BE ADDED TO THE PORCH ON THE SOUTH SIDE. THE EVE OF THE PORCH WILL BE ALLOWED TO PROJECT INTO THAT SIDE YARD SETBACK TWO AND A HALF FEET IF CONSTRUCTED WITH NONCOMBUSTIBLE MATERIALS. SO THE REQUEST NOW IS FOR A VARIANCE OF 3.9 FEET FOR THE FRONT YARD SET BACK ON COLUMBIA STREET AND ALSO A VARIANCE OF 15 PERCENT FOR DRIVEWAY COVERAGE. THAT'S ALL I HAVE. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, MR. CHAPMAN. WOULD THE APPLICANT OR THE APPLICANT'S REPRESENTATIVE LIKE TO COME UP AND SAY ANYTHING? PLEASE JUST STATE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS FOR THE PUBLIC RECORD. YES, CHAIRMAN [INAUDIBLE] 613 GROVE STREET, EAST LANSING AND I'M THE ARCHITECT FOR THE PROJECT. WELCOME BACK. AND SO IN RESPONSE TO THE COMMENTS THAT WERE MADE LAST TIME ARE THE CONCERNS EXPRESSED. WE DID ELIMINATE THE WEST CANOPY, SO THAT LEAVES US. WE'RE PROPOSING 16.1 FEET FROM THE EXISTING STREET LINE, WHICH IS THE CURRENT DISTANCE. SO THERE'S AN EXISTING HOUSE. OF COURSE, WE'RE REMOVING THE EXISTING HOUSE AND PROPOSING TO BUILD A NEW TWO AND A HALF STORY HOUSE. SO OUR FRONT BUILDING FRONT WOULD BE WHERE THE EXISTING FRONT IS. [00:05:03] AND APPARENTLY THERE WAS A PREVIOUSLY A VARIANCE GRANTED FOR THAT LOCATION. AND THEN, AS KEITH SAID, WE'VE TRIMMED UP THE DRIVEWAY A LITTLE BIT IN RESPONSE TO THE THE WIDTH. SO WE'RE AT 22 FEET, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT DOESN'T GET US TO 50 PERCENT, BUT IT'S AN IMPROVEMENT ON WHAT'S THERE. JUST TO REITERATE FROM THE LAST MEETING. A NORTH BUILDING LINE IS ESSENTIALLY WHERE THE EXISTING BUILDING IS AND THEN THE SOUTH BUILDING LINE CURRENT, THE CURRENT SITUATION IS ABOUT TWO AND A HALF FEET FROM THE PROPERTY LINE. SO WE'RE ACTUALLY MOVING OUR BUILDING ABOUT THREE FEET FROM THE SOUTH PROPERTY LINE. SO WE THINK THAT WE THINK WE'RE IMPROVING THE CONDITION ON THE SOUTH AND WE'RE NOT REALLY DOING ANYTHING DIFFERENT ALONG THE NORTH. SO THE, WE ASK HER THERE WAS SOME DISCUSSION AND IT SEEMED LIKE THE TONE OF THE MEETING WAS IS CAN WE GRANT ANY VARIANCES BECAUSE ALL THE PROPERTIES ARE NARROW? SO WE ASK MR. CHAPMAN IF HE WOULD KIND OF LOOK AT OTHER VARIANCES. AND SO WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR HOMEWORK THERE. SO HE FOUND THAT WITHIN A BLOCK OR TWO, THERE HAVE BEEN 18 SIMILAR VARIANCES GRANTED EITHER FOR FRONT YARD COVERAGE OR FOR SETBACK. AND BUT YOU ALSO SAID BEFORE THE MEETING THAT HAD YOU GONE FARTHER NORTH, THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN EVEN MORE. YOU KIND OF LIMITED THE STUDY TO KIND OF CLOSE PROXIMITY. SO, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW HOW THAT HELPS US CRAFT THE UNIQUE CONDITION, AND WE'RE ESSENTIALLY ASKING TO PRESERVE THE EXISTING CONDITIONS FROM THE COVERAGE AND THEN ALSO FOR THE SETBACK. I DID LIKE TAKE A LOOK AT THE AGAIN THE BUILDING, YOU KNOW, COULD WE PRESERVE SOME OF THE EXISTING BUILDING? AND ONE OF THE THINGS IS THAT WHEN YOU GO TO TWO AND A HALF STORIES, OUR BUILDING CODE REQUIRES US TO CONSTRUCT WITH TWO BY SIX STUDS. SO WE CAN'T DO IT WITH TWO BY FOUR STUDS. SO TO CONSTRUCT THE ADDITIONAL HALF STORY, ESSENTIALLY WE WOULD HAVE TO GO IN TO THE EXISTING BUILDING, REMOVE THE INTERIOR FINISHES, THE MECHANICALS, THE ELECTRICAL, [INAUDIBLE] SIDING BECAUSE IT HAS TO BE A FIREWALL. AND THEN WE WOULD HAVE TO REALLY INSTALL LIKE TWO BY SIX STUDS ADJACENT. SO IT'S IT'S REALLY KIND OF IT'S IMPRACTICAL TO REALLY THINK ABOUT ADDING THE ADDITIONAL STORY FOR STRUCTURAL REASONS. WE ALSO THINK THAT THE FOOTINGS FOUNDATIONS WOULD, YOU KNOW, WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO SUPPORT IT. SO WE DID, YOU KNOW, KIND OF LOOKED AT THAT AGAIN. WE DID MAKE A FLOOR PLAN CHANGE, WHICH MR. CHAPMAN REFERENCED THERE. SO WE WE'VE TUCKED THE FIRST FLOOR ENTRANCE AND SECOND AND THIRD FLOOR BACK A LITTLE BIT TO ACCOMMODATE THE ROOF OVER THE THE PORCH OR THE ENTRANCEWAY THERE TO KIND OF PICK UP WHETHER PROTECTION. BUT IT DID ALLOW US TO ELIMINATE THAT CANOPY ALONG THE SOUTH SIDE. SO WE'VE ELIMINATED ONE REQUEST COMPLETELY. AND THEN WE'VE I THINK WE'VE IMPROVED UPON THE OTHER TWO REQUESTS, FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE. AND THEN, YOU KNOW, WE'RE JUST SO MANY VARIANCES HAVE BEEN GRANTED THAT, YOU KNOW, HOPEFULLY THAT WOULD BE CONSIDERED AND YOU KNOW, IN THE LOGIC THERE. SO ANYTHING ELSE THAT YOU WANT TO ADD SCOTT? YES. YEAH, THERE'S THE TABLE. YOU SAW THE TABLE THERE. AND SO I THINK ONE OF THEM WAS 74 PERCENT COVERAGE AND SEVERAL OF THEM WERE QUITE A BIT CLOSER THAN WHAT THAN WHAT WE CURRENTLY ARE AT. I'LL BE AVAILABLE FOR ANY QUESTIONS, AND SO WE CAN HOPE THAT YOU WOULD APPROVE THIS. ALL RIGHT. GREAT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. WE APPRECIATE YOU COMING BACK. IS THERE ANYBODY ELSE WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK OF THIS CASE TONIGHT? IF NOT, I'M GOING TO CLOSE PUBLIC COMMENT AND GO INTO OUR BOARD TIME. ALL RIGHT, WE'LL GO TO BOARD TIME. MEMBER HENDRICKSON. YEAH, I WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT TO APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT KEITH DID TO PREPARE THAT TABLE. I KNOW THAT WAS HELPFUL TO ME IN CONSIDERING THIS, AS WELL AS TO THANK THE APPLICANT FOR TAKING OUR COMMENTS INTO CONSIDERATION. BETWEEN THE LAST MEETING AND TONIGHT. OVERALL, FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, I THINK THIS IS A FAR MORE PALATABLE REQUEST TO, YOU KNOW, BEFORE THIS BODY TONIGHT. I DO APPRECIATE, EVEN AS MINIMAL AS IT MIGHT SEEM, THE NARROWING OF THE DRIVEWAY TO HAVE LESS IMPERVIOUS SURFACE. AND I, YOU KNOW, I BELIEVE THAT I COULD MAKE A STRAIGHT FACED ARGUMENT IN FAVOR OF ALL OF THE REVIEW CRITERIA BEING MET FOR THESE VARIANCES. AND I WILL WE'LL GET TO THAT IN A MOMENT, I'M SURE, BUT I WILL LIKELY BE SUPPORTING THESE VARIANCES AS REQUESTED. THANK YOU, MEMBER HENDRICKSON. AND YES, I WOULD AGREE. I DON'T I ACTUALLY DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FROM READING WHAT WAS IN THE PACKET AND CONSIDERING WHAT WE YOU KNOW WHAT ALL WE DISCUSSED IN OUR LAST MEETING [00:10:04] ABOUT THIS CASE. SO I FEEL COMFORTABLE GOING THROUGH CRITERIA IF THE REST OF MY MEMBERS HERE FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH THAT AND I WOULD AGREE, I AGREE WITH MEMBER HENDRICKSON. I REALLY APPRECIATE GOING BACK AND TAKING THE TIME AND EFFORT TO MINIMIZING AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. AND I AM SENSITIVE TO THE FACT THAT THERE ARE EVERYBODY ON THE BLOCK JUST ABOUT VARIANCE AND YOU CAN SEE WHY. I MEAN, IT'S A VERY TRICKY SPOT TO BUILD IN. SO I DO APPRECIATE THAT GOING BACK THROUGH THIS PLAN AND JUST TIGHTENING IT UP AS MUCH AS YOU COULD, AND THAT REALLY IS A VERY POSITIVE THING, IN MY VIEW AS WELL. SO WE'LL JUST GO THROUGH THE CRITERIA AND I THINK WE'RE PROBABLY ALL RIGHT THERE. LET'S SEE. CRITERIA, NUMBER ONE, UNIQUE CIRCUMSTANCES EXIST ARE PECULIAR TO THE LAND OR STRUCTURE THAT ARE NOT APPLICABLE TO OTHER LAND OR STRUCTURES IN THE SAME ZONING DISTRICT. AND WHILE I THINK WE HAD SOME ARGUMENTS IN OUR LAST MEETING THAT IF ALL THE HOMES IN THIS AREA ARE UNIQUE THAN ANY OF THEM UNIQUE? BUT I WOULD SAY THAT THIS, YES, I WOULD AGREE THAT EVERY ONE OF THESE LOTS HERE IS IS UNIQUE IN CIRCUMSTANCE, JUST FROM THE DUE TO THE SHAPE, SIZE AND JUST THE UNIQUE NATURE THAT EVERY INDIVIDUAL BUILDING CONSISTS OF IN THAT AREA. SO I HAVE ANY, I CAN MEET THAT AND I CAN ALSO MEET. THESE CIRCUMSTANCES ARE NOT SELF-CREATED, ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING YOU BOUGHT THE HOUSE AS IS AND ARE KEEPING RELATIVELY THE SAME FOOTPRINT, IF NOT TIGHTENING IT UP EVEN BY A FEW FEET HERE AND THERE. STRICT INTERPRETATION AND ENFORCEMENT OF THE LITERAL TERMS AND PROVISIONS OF THIS CHAPTER WOULD RESULT IN PRACTICAL DIFFICULTIES. AND I DO BELIEVE THAT NOT GRANTING THIS VARIANCE WOULD PREVENT YOU FROM BUILDING A NEW STRUCTURE, CERTAINLY ANY STRUCTURE. OR EVEN AS MR. RON [INAUDIBLE]. DID I SAY THAT CORRECTLY? [INAUDIBLE]. I AM SO SORRY. I THINK I MISPRONOUNCED THE LAST TIME AS WELL. [INAUDIBLE], AS HE SO ELOQUENTLY PUT, I MEAN, YOU CAN'T EVEN BUILD UP WITHOUT TEARING APART THE ENTIRE HOUSE. SO I DO THINK THAT THIS WOULD RESULT IN PRACTICAL DIFFICULTIES. I FEEL THAT WE CAN MEET THAT, WHICH I THINK LEADS RIGHT INTO THAT. THE ALLEGED PRACTICAL DIFFICULTIES, WHICH WILL RESULT FROM A FAILURE TO GRANT THE VARIANCE, WOULD UNREASONABLY PREVENT THE OWNER FROM USING THE PROPERTY FOR A PERMITTED PURPOSE. I THINK THAT WHILE YOU COULD LIVE IN THIS HOME, AS IS, IT'S AN OLDER HOME AND WILL REQUIRE RENOVATION AT SOME POINT JUST AND I DO BELIEVE THAT THIS WOULD BE UNREASONABLE TO CONSIDERING ALL YOUR NEIGHBORS HAVE NEW BUILDINGS AS WELL. DO ANY DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS ON CRITERIA NUMBER FOUR, THEN I'M GOING TO NUMBER FIVE. GRANTING THE VARIANCE IS THE MINIMUM ACTION THAT WILL MAKE POSSIBLE THE USE OF LAND OR STRUCTURE IN A MANNER WHICH IS NOT CONTRARY TO THE PUBLIC INTEREST AND WHICH WOULD CARRY OUT THE SPIRIT OF THE ZONING ORDINANCE, SECURE PUBLIC SAFETY AND PROVIDE SUBSTANTIAL JUSTICE. I CAN CERTAINLY MEET THAT. YES, MEMBER HENDRICKSON. THIS IS WHERE I BELIEVE WE'VE MADE STRIDES SINCE THE LAST MEETING, RIGHT? I DON'T BELIEVE I DIDN'T BELIEVE AT THE TIME DURING THE LAST MEETING THAT THIS CRITERIA WAS BEING MET BECAUSE THERE WERE CHANGES THAT TO THE PROPOSED PLAN THAT COULD HAVE BEEN DONE TO MAKE THE VARIANCE MORE, YOU KNOW, THE MINIMUM ACTION. AND I'M PLEASED SPECIFICALLY WITH THIS CRITERIA HAVING BEEN MET BETTER IN THIS CASE. SO I FEEL MUCH MORE COMFORTABLE WITH THIS CRITERIA, WHICH ALLOWS ME TO GET TO THE OTHERS AS WELL. I WILL ALSO ADD THAT I THINK LOOKING AT THE LIST OF VARIANCES THAT MR. CHAPMAN WAS ABLE TO PUT TOGETHER, THAT THIS ABSOLUTELY APPROVING THIS PROVIDES SUBSTANTIAL JUSTICE FOR THIS PARTICULAR HOME ON THIS PARTICULAR STREET, WITH ALL OF THE NEIGHBORS HAVING SIMILAR VARIANCES AND FOR THE EXISTING HOME TO HAVE SIMILAR VARIANCES AS WELL. SO I BELIEVE THAT IS ABSOLUTELY MET. CRITERIA NUMBER SIX, GRANTING THE VARIANCE WILL NOT ADVERSELY AFFECT ADJACENT LAND OR ESSENTIAL CHARACTER IN THE VICINITY OF THE PROPERTY. I THINK THAT WE'RE, WE CAN MEET THAT CRITERIA. CRITERIA NUMBER SEVEN, THE CONDITIONS PERTAINING TO THE LAND OR STRUCTURE ARE NOT SO GENERAL OR RECURRENT IN NATURE AS TO MAKE THE FORMULATION OF A GENERAL REGULATION FOR SUCH CONDITIONS PRACTICAL. THIS IS ACTUALLY THE ONLY ONE I HAVE A HARD TIME WITH FOR REASONS THAT WE TALKED ABOUT LAST TIME, WHICH IS THAT IF EVERY SINGLE PROPERTY IN THIS BLOCK OR IN THIS THREE BLOCK RADIUS HAS VARIANCE ON IT, THEN I THINK IT IS SOMETHING WE NEED TO LOOK AT. I DO NOT THINK IT'S FAIR, HOWEVER, TO PUT THAT ON THIS PARTICULAR APPLICANT. YES. MEMBER HENDRICKSON. YEAH. TO THAT POINT, THE PLANNING COMMISSION IS CURRENTLY WORKING WITH OUR TOWNSHIP STAFF [00:15:03] TO DRAFT AN ORDINANCE AMENDMENT THAT WE HOPE WILL ADDRESS THIS ISSUE GOING FORWARD. I AGREE THAT, YOU KNOW, THE CONDITIONS ARE GENERAL IN THIS AREA AND THIS NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. BUT I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT IT IS FAIR TO THIS APPLICANT TO HOLD UP THIS, WHICH MAY TAKE SEVERAL WEEKS OR MONTHS TO GET THE ORDINANCE AMENDED. I THINK WE SHOULD ALLOW THIS TO GO THROUGH AND WITH THE KNOWLEDGE THAT WE ARE CORRECTING THE PROBLEM LONG TERM AND THAT HOPEFULLY THIS WILL NOT BE AN ISSUE FOR FUTURE APPLICANTS. YES, DIRECTOR, [INAUDIBLE]. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. JUST BRIEFLY TO ADD ON TO CHAIR PERSON HENDRICKSON COMMENTS. WE TAKE THE THE FEEDBACK OF THE ZBA AND THE PLANNING COMMISSION TO HEART AND RECOGNIZE THAT THERE ARE SOME PROBLEMS WITH THE LAKE LANSING OVERLAY DISTRICT BASED ON THE NUMBER OF CASES THAT YOU GUYS ARE SEEING, AT LEAST EVEN MY SHORT TIME HERE. SO I THINK WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO THE PLAN OF ATTACK HERE, JUST SO EVERYONE'S AWARE, IS WE'RE PROBABLY GOING TO PROPOSE TWO INTERMEDIATE FIXES TO ADDRESS THE IMMEDIATE CONCERNS AND THEN START TAKING A MORE HOLISTIC LOOK AT THE OVERALL ORDINANCE AND SEEING WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE TO MAKE IT WORK FOR EVERYONE, NOT JUST PEOPLE ON COLUMBIA, BUT PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, ON THE OTHER SIDE OF MARK'S WATERSHED, WHICH ARE STILL TECHNICALLY IN THE DISTRICT AS WELL. SO I THINK THAT'S OUR APPROACH IS GOING TO BE BRING THOSE SORT OF TWO QUICK FIXES TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION VERY EARLY NEXT YEAR AND THEN START LOOKING AT A BROADER APPROACH FOR THE WHOLE THING. SO WE WOULD WELCOME ANY INPUT THAT ANY MEMBER HAS ON THAT. GREAT NEWS. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND I DO BELIEVE WE DISCUSSED COMING UP WITH A COUPLE OF POINTS THAT WE COULD FOR THE ZBA TO FORWARD BOTH TO STAFF AND TO TOWNSHIP BOARD AND PLANNING SO THAT WE COULD ALL GET THE BALL ROLLING. AND I APPRECIATE THAT BECAUSE I THINK THAT IS SOMETHING THAT EVEN IN THE SHORT TIME YOU'VE BEEN HERE, YOU'VE SEEN QUITE A FEW CASES AND I'VE LOOKED AT THAT LIST AND THOUGHT, OH, I'VE SET OUT AT LEAST TWO OR THREE OF THESE, AND THAT'S JUST ON COLUMBIA STREET. SO I DO APPRECIATE THAT. I THINK THAT'LL BE REALLY HELPFUL FOR YOUR NEIGHBORS AS WELL. AND FINALLY, CRITERIA NUMBER EIGHT, GRANTING THE VARIANCE WILL BE GENERALLY CONSISTENT WITH PUBLIC INTEREST IN THE PURPOSES AND INTENT OF THIS CHAPTER, AND I CAN ABSOLUTELY MEET THAT CRITERIA WITH THIS. WITH THAT MEMBER HENDRICKSON. I MOVE TO APPROVE THE VARIANCES AS REQUESTED IN ZBA CASE 21-10-27-1 2050 SHELDRAKE AVENUE. OK. ANY DISCUSSION ON THAT MOTION BETWEEN THE THREE OF US? YES. MEMBER OPSOMMER. YEAH, I JUST WANTED TO SUMMARIZE AND KIND OF ECHO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN SAID, BUT I APPRECIATE MEMBER HENDRICKSON INPUT AT THE PREVIOUS MEETING, WHICH DID LEAD TO THE MINIMAL ACTION THAT WE'RE TAKING TONIGHT, AND I THINK WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE VARIANCES THAT HAVE BEEN APPROVED THAT MR. CHAPMAN PUT TOGETHER AND THAT OUR PLANNING STAFF HAVE KEPT ON RECORD OVER THE DECADES, THE ACTION THAT WE'RE TAKING TONIGHT IS CERTAINLY WITHIN, LIKE ROUGHLY THE MEDIAN OF THE ACTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN TAKEN IN THE VARIANCES THAT HAVE BEEN GRANTED OVER THE COURSE OF THE TIME. AND I THINK THE DELIBERATIVE STEP THAT OUR STAFF ARE TAKING NOW WITH THE PLANNING COMMISSION AND THE BOARD TO RECTIFY THIS PORTION OF THE OVERLAY DISTRICT IS A GOOD COURSE OF ACTION BECAUSE YOU DO SEE VERY, VERY WIDE DISCREPANCIES IN TERMS OF THE VARIANCE AS APPROVED, ESPECIALLY FOR THE FRONT YARD SET BACK. BUT I DO THINK WE ARE WITHIN THE SPIRIT OF IT BECAUSE I THINK THE SPIRIT OF IT, AS I'VE UNDERSTOOD IT, WAS CREATING FLEXIBILITY FOR THESE VERY DIFFICULT AND ODDLY SHAPED PARCELS, MAYBE NOT ALWAYS ODDLY SHAPED, BUT NARROW AT MINIMUM. AND I THINK MAYBE THAT YARD SETBACK WAS THE KIND OF THE OVERSIGHT IN DRAFTING THAT. BUT SO I THINK WE'VE TAKEN A VERY HOLISTIC APPROACH WITH THIS CASE AND ARRIVED AT A GOOD PLACE. THANK YOU. EXCELLENT. ALL RIGHT. ON THAT NOTE, I WILL GO TO A VOTE. MEMBER OPSOMMER. YES. MEMBER HENDRICKSON. YES. AND THE CHAIR VOTES YES. SO YOUR VARIANCE HAS BEEN APPROVED. WE APPRECIATE YOU VERY MUCH COMING BACK AND TAKING ANOTHER LOOK AT THAT AND BEING PATIENT WITH US AS WE WENT THROUGH THIS THIS CRITERIA. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OK. ALL RIGHT, AND THAT NOTE LOOKS LIKE WE'RE MOVING ON TO NEW BUSINESS, LET ME GET BACK TO MY AGENDA HERE. OK, NEW BUSINESS THAT BRINGS US TO ZBA CASE NUMBER 21-12-08-1 SH G2755 LLC [6.A. ZBA CASE NO. 21-12-08-1 (SH G2755 LLC & Green Peak Industries, Inc.), 5030 Northwind Drive Ste. 120, East Lansing, MI, 48823] AND GREEN PEAK INDUSTRIES, INC. 5030 NORTH WIND DRIVE SUITE 120 EAST LANSING, MICHIGAN 48823. [00:20:03] AND WITH THAT, MR. CHAPMAN. SO THE APPLICANT IS REQUESTING A VARIANCE TO CONSTRUCT 13,500 SQUARE FOOT COMMERCIAL BUILDING LOCATED AT 5030 NORTH WIND DRIVE. THE SUBMITTED SITE PLAN SHOWS A SINGLE RETAIL BUILDING THAT HAS ELEVEN THOUSAND NINE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY SQUARE FEET IN THE MAIN BUILDING, ALONG WITH ONE THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED AND THIRTY SQUARE FEET OF LOADING AREA. THE SITE IS COMPLETELY FOR THE PROPERTIES ARE COMPLETELY DEVELOPED WITH EXISTING COMMERCIAL CENTERS. THESE ARE PROPOSED TO BE DEMOLISHED FOR THE NEW COMMERCIAL BUILDING, ALONG WITH AN ASSOCIATED PARKING LOT. THE SITE PLAN SITE PLAN FOR THE REMOVAL OF A BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION OF THE CURRENT COMMERCIAL BUILDING AT 2755 GRAND RIVER AVENUE WAS APPROVED ON OCTOBER 9TH 2002 AND ARE ASSESSING RECORDS INDICATE THE BUILDING TO THE SOUTH OF THAT WAS CONSTRUCTED IN 1966. THE LOT LINES WILL NEED TO BE ADJUSTED, WHICH THE APPLICANT IS PLANNING ON DOING IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE SITE PLAN APPROVAL. THE PROPERTY IS CURRENT AS APPROXIMATELY 2.2 ACRES IN SIZE IS ZONED C2 COMMERCIAL AND A SHOPPING CENTER IS PERMITTED BY RIGHT SUBJECT TO SITE PLAN REVIEW. SECTION 86755 THE SCHEDULE OF REQUIREMENTS FOR PARKING SPACES STATES THAT COMMERCIAL CENTERS THAT HAVE A GROSS FLOOR AREA OF LESS THAN TWENTY FIVE THOUSAND SQUARE FEET HAVE A MINIMUM OF FIVE AND A MAXIMUM OF 5.5 PARKING SPACES PER ONE THOUSAND SQUARE FEET. THE COMMERCIAL BUILDING IS REQUIRED TO HAVE A MINIMUM OF 60 AND A MAXIMUM OF 66 PARKING SPACES. THIS CALCULATION IS BASED ON THE SQUARE FOOTAGE OF THE MAIN BUILDING AND DOES NOT INCLUDE THE LOADING AREA, SO THE SITE PLAN SHOWS A TOTAL OF 115 PARKING SPACES. THIS REQUIRES A VARIANCE OF 49 PARKING SPACES FOR THE EXTRA SPACES. JUST ONE THING TO NOTE THAT THIS VARIANCE DIFFERS FROM THE APPLICANT'S REQUESTED VARIANCE OF 44 PARKING SPACES BECAUSE STAFF REMOVED THE LOADING AREA FROM THAT PARKING CALCULATION. THAT'S ALL I HAVE. OK, THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN, WITH THE APPLICANT OR THE APPLICANT'S REPRESENTATIVE LIKE TO COME UP AND SPEAK ON THIS CASE, AND WE JUST ASK THAT YOU STATE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS FOR THE PUBLIC RECORD. THANK YOU. MY NAME IS ROBERT FORD. I'M AT 809 CENTER STREET, LANSING, MICHIGAN. THAT'S THE PLACE FOR OUR BUSINESS, LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS AND PLANNERS. AND I AM A LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT AND PRESIDENT OF THE COMPANY. I'M HERE REPRESENTING SHG 2755 AND I'LL JUST MENTION THAT THEY ARE LOCAL PASSIVE INVESTORS IN THIS PROJECT, SO THEY ARE MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY. I'LL GO THROUGH JUST TO SORT OF REITERATE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT ARE ON THE APPLICATION, AND HOPEFULLY THAT'LL GIVE A LITTLE BROADER PERSPECTIVE. THE THEME, IF THERE IS A THEME, IS FRESH PRODUCE, MEATS AND FLOWERS. THE BOUTIQUE GROCER, THE REPUTATION OF THIS NATIONAL SPECIALTY BOUTIQUE GROCER HAS A STRONG CONSUMER BASE BECAUSE PEOPLE EQUATE THIS BRAND TO A HIGH QUALITY FRESH FRUIT FOODS, GOODS, EXCUSE ME, FRESH GOODS, A BEAUTIFUL DISPLAY OF THEIR PRODUCTS, AND A SHOPPING EXPERIENCE THAT IS UNIQUE. A LOCAL FACEBOOK GROUP WITH OVER 4000 FOLLOWERS LOCALLY BASE HAS BEEN ASKING THE GROCER SINCE 2009 TO COME TO THE GREATER LANSING AREA. THE BOUTIQUE GROCER HAS OVER 500 STORES NATIONWIDE, WITH SEVEN LOCATIONS IN MICHIGAN. A LOCAL DEVELOPER SAID ON FACEBOOK THAT HE HAS REACHED OUT TO THIS GROCER OVER 25 TIMES OVER THE PAST 10 YEARS. I THINK THERE THEY ARE, THEY ARE INTERESTED, HE SAID. BUT I JUST DON'T KNOW WHERE THEY WOULD LIKE TO GO. STAFF FOR THE GROCER CONSIDERS POTENTIAL CUSTOMER DEMAND DISTANCE FROM POTENTIAL LOCATIONS TO A DISTRIBUTION CENTER AND PROPERTIES THAT ARE THE RIGHT SIZE FOR A STORE, TYPICALLY NO MORE THAN 10 TO. 15,000 SQUARE FEET. OBVIOUSLY, THERE'S OTHER LOCATIONS WITHIN THE METRO AREA THAT THEY COULD CHOOSE TO LOCATE. BUT THEY'VE CHOSEN THIS SITE UNIQUENESS. THIS NEIGHBORHOOD GROCER WILL PROVIDE A WIDE VARIETY OF SPECIALTY ITEMS NOT FOUND IN TRADITIONAL GROCERY STORES. THEY GO OUT OF THEIR WAY TO PROMOTE UNIQUE PRODUCTS, INTERESTING RECIPES, FRESH PRODUCE, [00:25:04] LEAN CUTS OF MEAT AND A VARIETY OF BEAUTIFUL CUT FLOWERS. IT TRANSLATES INTO A CLEAN, EASY TO FINE, WELL-LIT AND FRIENDLY SHOPPING EXPERIENCE FOR ITS CUSTOMERS. THIS GROCER HAS EVOLVED TO THE POINT THAT THEY HAVE THEIR OWN UNIQUE BRANDS. THEY TAKE PRIDE IN DELIVERING ON THEIR PROMISE OF CREATING SUPERIOR QUALITY PRODUCTS AT A RELATIVELY LOW PRICE. REDEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY. THIS IS AN EXCELLENT REDEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY FOR THE ENTIRE MERIDIAN COMMUNITY BECAUSE THIS STORE WILL PROVIDE ACCESS TO FRESH PRODUCE, PRODUCE, MEATS AND FLOWERS IN A VARIETY OF SPECIALTY ITEMS AND BRANDS NOT OFFERED IN EAST LANSING OR THE MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP AREA. IT WILL CREATE A GREAT VIBE, BRING IN FRESH CUSTOMER BASE THAT WILL IN TURN CREATE MORE VISIBILITY AND TRAFFIC FOR THE REMAINING COMMERCIAL ENTITIES IN THE STATED SHOPPING CENTER. VISIBILITY, ACCESS AND TRAFFIC. THERE ARE FEW SITES, IF ANY, AVAILABLE IN MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP POSITIONED CORRECTLY FOR THIS TYPE OF A NATIONAL BOUTIQUE SPECIALTY GROCER. THEY WOULD PROBABLY HAVE TO LOCATE OUTSIDE THE TOWNSHIP IF THIS SITE DOES NOT WORK OUT. THE STORE REQUIRES GOOD VISIBILITY FROM THE MAIN STREET, WHICH MAKES IT EVEN MORE DIFFICULT TO FIND A COMPARABLE SITE. THE GRAND RIVER AVENUE OFFERS SUCH EXPOSURE. IT ALSO HAS A TRAFFIC LIGHT AT NORTH WIND AND GRAND RIVER, WHICH OFFERS CONTROLLED VEHICULAR ACCESS, WHICH IS HIGHLY DESIRED. THE SITE WILL ALSO HAVE LED SHIELDED LIGHTING THROUGHOUT THE PARKING LOT, AND BECAUSE THE ADJACENT USES ARE PRIMARILY COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL, THE IMPACTS OF THE COMMERCIAL LIGHTING ARE NEGLIGIBLE. SAFE AND MAKE DRIVING IN THE EVENING EASY TO NEGOTIATE. IN ADDITION, THERE'S ALSO A GOOD SIDEWALK NETWORK THAT LINKS TO THIS SITE, AND THE STORE WILL PROVIDE ADEQUATE BICYCLE PARKING. TURNOVER RATE THIS SPECIALTY GROCERY [INAUDIBLE] SHELF SPACE, MAKING THE BUILDING FOOTPRINT ABOUT ONE THIRD THE SIZE OF A TRADITIONAL GROCERS, AND ITS INVENTORY IS TURNED OVER IN A MUCH FASTER RATE. THEREFORE, RESTOCKING IS REQUIRED AT A MUCH HIGHER VOLUME. THIS INCREASES THE NEED FOR EMPLOYEES TO UNLOAD STOCK. STACK THE SHELVES, CREATING MORE JOBS THAN A NORMAL GROCER. MANAGERS ARE TRAINED TO ENGAGE WITH THEIR CUSTOMERS IN A NEIGHBORHOOD FRIENDLY MANNER TO GUARANTEE CUSTOMER SATISFACTION. THIS TYPE OF SERVICE AND QUALITY PRODUCTS CREATE A VOLUME OF TRAFFIC THAT SELLS ALMOST TWO TIMES THE AMOUNT PER SQUARE FOOT COMPARED TO OTHER GROCERS. THIS UNIQUE STYLE OF MERCHANDIZING CREATES MORE PARKING AT PEAK HOURS THAN THE PARKING RATIO THAT IS CURRENTLY THAT CURRENTLY GUIDES MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP. THE UNIQUENESS AND CONSUMERS ALLEGIANCE TO THIS BRAND CREATES A DEMAND THAT REQUIRES MORE SPACES THAN THE TOWNSHIP RECOMMENDS IN THEIR ORDINANCE THAT THIS TIME. IT IS NOT OVER PARKING IT IS SIMPLY MEETING THE PEAK CONSUMER DEMAND THAT OCCURS DAILY FOR THIS GROCER. PEAK DEMAND. BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 5:15 AND 7 P.M.. THERE'S A MUCH GREATER DEMAND FOR PARKING SPACES THAN THE AVERAGE GROCERY STORE BASED UPON THIS GROCERS TRACK RECORD. JUST THINK OF THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO WORK OR ATTEND [INAUDIBLE] TRAVELING HOME EASTBOUND ALONG GRAND RIVER EACH NIGHT THAT WILL STOP HERE AND SHOP. THEREFORE, TO GENERATE THE SAME AMOUNT OF REVENUE WITH ONLY 66 SPACES, THE TIME FOR TRANSACTIONS WOULD NEED TO BE REDUCED TO 21.5 MINUTES INSTEAD OF THE NATIONAL AVERAGE FOR SHOPPING TRANSACTIONS THAT ARE 41 MINUTES. THE TIME OF CONSUMER SPEND SHOPPING IS PROBABLY NOT GOING TO CHANGE VERY MUCH, AND THEREFORE THIS RATIO MAKES THE PROJECT UNFEASIBLE. WITH THE PARKING BEING LIMITED, THE GROCER NEEDS 115 PARKING SPACES TO MAKE THIS GROCERY STORE WORK, AND THAT REQUIRES A VARIANCE THAT WE ARE ASKING FROM THE BOARD TONIGHT. THEREFORE, WE RESPECTFULLY ASK FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION OF OUR REQUEST. THANK YOU SO MUCH, MR. FORD. IS THERE IS THERE ANYBODY ELSE I'D LIKE TO SPEAK ON THIS CASE THAT'S HERE TONIGHT? I SHOULD HAVE ASKED THAT. OK, IF NOT, IF YOU'D LIKE TO STAY CLOSE AT THE PODIUM THERE SO WE CAN ASK QUESTIONS, WE'LL GET INTO A BOARD TIME. SURE. ALL RIGHT. ON THAT NOTE, WE WILL GO TO BOARD TIME. ANY QUESTIONS OR THOUGHTS OR COMMENTS YET? [00:30:04] YES. MEMBER OPSOMMER, GO AHEAD. THANK YOU, CHAIRMAN MANSOUR. SO I WAS JUST WONDERING IF YOU COULD SHARE WITH THE ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS WHO THE APPLICANT IS. THIS BOUTIQUE APPLICANT IS. THE APPLICANT IS TRADER JOE'S. OK. WE APPRECIATE KNOWING THAT THAT'S HELPFUL TO KNOW. SO HAVING WORKED ON ONE PREVIOUS APPLICATION HERE IN THE TOWNSHIP, WHICH WAS CHICK FIL A ON GRAND RIVER AVENUE, I WAS ON THE PLANNING COMMISSION WHEN THEY CAME BEFORE US AND THEY TOLD US ABOUT THEIR MODEL AND THEIR DESIGN FOR THE DRIVE THRU AND HOW MANY CARS THEY NEEDED TO STACK. AND I THINK WE MINIMIZED THAT. AND NOW AS A RESULT, WE OFTEN SEE THE DRIVE THRU LINE BACKING UP INTO THE NORTH OR ACTUALLY THE SOUTH OF THE PROPERTY WITH THE SERVICE DRIVE ON THE MYER. BUT IT WAS ALSO DUE TO SOME SITE LIMITATIONS AND BEING ABLE TO STACK CARS AND DO WHAT THEY HAD HOPED TO ACHIEVE IN TERMS OF THE NUMBER OF CARS TO STACK. THAT'S SOMETHING WHERE I KIND OF LEARNED A LITTLE BIT ON SOME OF THESE MORE UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES WHERE PEOPLE HAVE A HIGH DEMAND TO GO VISIT SOME OF THESE COMMERCIAL SPACES, SO YOURS IS CERTAINLY AMONG THEM. MY THIS IS OBVIOUSLY AN ORDINANCE THAT WE TAKE VERY SERIOUSLY BECAUSE WE DO NOT LIKE TO PERMIT, YOU KNOW, IMPERVIOUS COVERAGE THAT IS NOT REQUIRED. BUT I WOULD PUT THIS IN LINE WITH KIND OF THE CHICK-FIL-A AND THE LESSON THAT WE LEARNED ON THE DRIVE THRU AND THE NEED TO STACK THE NUMBER OF CARS THERE. AND SOMETIMES THEY'RE CERTAINLY UNIQUE CIRCUMSTANCES THAT CONFLICT WITH OUR ORDINANCES. SO JUST SOME OF MY OVERARCHING THOUGHTS ON THE APPLICANT. GREAT. THANK YOU. MEMBER HENDRICKSON. YEAH. TO PIGGYBACK ON TRUSTEE OPSOMMER POINT, THE PROPERTY HERE IS ALREADY PAVED OVER. I MEAN, IT'S NOT LIKE WE'RE SAVING THE CURRENT PERVIOUS SURFACE IN THIS PROPERTY AND YOU KNOW, ANYONE. I DO APPRECIATE KNOWING THE THE APPLICANT AS WELL, BECAUSE ANYONE WHO'S BEEN TO ONE OF THESE ESTABLISHMENTS IN OTHER PLACES AROUND MICHIGAN WILL WELL KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY ARE VERY, VERY POPULAR AND PARKING. IT COMES AT A PREMIUM. AND I IMAGINE THAT YOU KNOW THAT THE APPLICANT KNOWS BETTER THAN ANYONE JUST HOW POPULAR THEIR STORE WILL BE. YOU KNOW, TO THAT POINT, YOU KNOW, THE APPLICANT STATED IN IS CORRECT THAT THERE ARE NEARLY 4,000 PEOPLE IN A COUPLE OF FACEBOOK GROUPS ON, YOU KNOW, JUST A CURSORY SEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT ARE BEGGING TO HAVE THIS PARTICULAR GROCERY STORE COME INTO OUR AREA. SAFE TO SAY. I THINK THAT THAT DEMAND WOULD BE HIGH, AT LEAST INITIALLY, AND PROBABLY FOR QUITE SOME TIME. AND YOU KNOW, WHILE I AM PROBABLY THE JUNIOR MEMBER ON THIS BOARD, I WILL SAY THAT I HAVE NEVER SEEN AN APPLICANT COME IN ASKING FOR MORE PARKING. I WASN'T HERE WHEN WHEN CHICK FIL A CAME IN, BUT IT'S A RARE CASE WHEN MORE PARKING IS REQUESTED. AND IN THIS CASE, I THINK IT'S COMPLETELY WELL, WELL DESERVED BECAUSE I BELIEVE THAT THIS WILL LIKELY DO VERY WELL IN MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP AND I THINK THAT THE APPLICANT IS PREPARING FOR THEIR SUCCESS. AND I BELIEVE THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD BE DOING AS WELL. THANK YOU, MEMBER HENDRICKSON. I'M GOING TO BE THE WET BLANKET A LITTLE BIT BECAUSE I'M GOING TO JUST COME IN AND SAY, AS THE ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS, WE DO VERY MUCH APPRECIATE KNOWING WHO THE APPLICANT IS. HOWEVER, WE ALSO HAVE TO LOOK AT IT HOLISTICALLY, KNOWING THAT THIS VARIANCE GOES WITH THIS LOT IN PERPETUITY. SO THAT SAID, I WAS, KEITH, COULD YOU PULL UP THE THE SITE? THE LET'S SEE WHAT IS THE LABEL AS THE SITE PLAN? I'M ONLY A LITTLE BIT OF A WET BLANKET. I JUST WANT TO TAKE THE NAME OUT OF IT AND LET'S LOOK AT THIS AS A COMMERCIAL PARCEL. NOW, IF WE I WAS DOING SOME NUMBERS IN MATH AND LET'S SAY WE GET UP TO 42 IF WE TAKE OUT PARKING ON THIS, THIS SIDE OF THE PARCEL AND ALONG THE BACK. [00:35:01] OK, SO WE TAKE THAT PARKING OUT TO GET DOWN TO 40 TO LESS 42 SPACES. WHAT HAPPENS TO THAT? THAT SPACE THERE? AS MEMBER HENDRICKSON POINTED OUT, IT'S ALREADY PAVED, SO IT'S ALREADY IMPERVIOUS, SO THEY DON'T STRIPE IT, BUT IT'S STILL EXIST AS AS PAVEMENT EVEN ONCE THOSE BUILDINGS ARE DOWN. SO I THINK I CAME AT THIS KIND OF IN A BACKWARDS WAY THINKING ABOUT THE FACT THAT I THINK IT'S A MATTER OF PUBLIC SAFETY TO HAVE ENOUGH SPACE, BUT ALSO THAT IS GOING TO BE IMPERVIOUS SPACE, WHETHER IT'S DIRECT OR NOT. SO I SEE THAT AS BEING A UNIQUE CONDITION THAT WHETHER WE APPROVE THIS VARIANCE OR NOT, WE STILL HAVE THIS LOCATION BEING EITHER UNUSABLE. I THINK WHAT I WROTE IS AS NON DESIGNATED PARKING SPACE, CREATING POTENTIAL ACCIDENTS, CREATING POTENTIAL ISSUES WITH, YOU KNOW, AS THE APPLICANT SAID, YOU KNOW, WITH TRAFFIC, WITH PEOPLE COMING IN AND OUT DURING THOSE BUSY RUSH HOURS, I THAT COULD COULD GET A LITTLE UGLY. SO I TAKING OUT THE THE BRAND NAME HERE. LOOK AT THAT AND SAYING THAT IF WE DON'T APPROVE THIS VARIANCE, THAT JUST BECOMES PRETTY MUCH WASTED SPACE. IT CAN'T BE DEVELOPED FOR ANYTHING ELSE. THERE'S NOT ANY OTHER USAGE FOR THAT. WE HAVE THE THE STORM WATER DETENTION AT THE END OF THAT LOT. WE HAVE THE LANDSCAPE BUFFER ON THE WHAT IS THIS, THE WEST SIDE OF THE THE LOT THERE. SO I DON'T SEE WHAT ELSE CAN BE DONE WITH THAT. I'M CURIOUS IF ANYBODY ELSE HAS IDEAS, BUT AT THIS POINT, I THINK THAT JUST BASED ON THAT ALONE, REGARDLESS OF OR IN ADDITION TO THE TRAFFIC FLOW, I SEE THIS AS BEING A MINIMUM ACTION. SO. YES, MEMBER HENDRICKSON. YEAH, AND I AGREE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE SHOULD COME AT THIS WITHOUT, YOU KNOW, WITH BLINDERS ON IN TERMS OF THE ACTUAL APPLICANT, BUT THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS IS THAT IF THIS WERE TO IF IT WERE NOT TO BE THIS. RIGHT, IF THIS WERE TO BE SOMEONE ELSE. 99 PERCENT OF APPLICANTS FOR, YOU KNOW, TO COME THAT WOULD COME INTO THIS SPACE ARE GOING TO BE REQUESTING LESS PARKING [INAUDIBLE] AND SO THIS I FEEL TO BE A LITTLE LESS OF A CONCERN FOR ME THAN THAN OTHERWISE WOULD BE. AND ONE OF THE THING I'LL MENTION, JUST BECAUSE IT'S SOMETHING I HAVE BEEN WORKING ON NOW FOR A WHILE, IS THAT I DO APPRECIATE HOW THE SITE IS LAID OUT. NOT THAT THIS IS GERMANE TO THIS PARTICULAR VARIANCE REQUEST, BUT WE ARE WORKING IN THIS AREA TO MOVE THINGS CLOSER TO THE ROAD, PUT PARKING BEHIND AS WE'RE TRYING TO MOVE OURSELVES AS A TOWNSHIP AND LEAST IN THIS AREA AS A PILOT CLOSER TO A FORM BASE CODE. AND I'M VERY APPRECIATIVE OF THE DECISION MAKING PROCESS TO PUT THE BUILDING UP FRONT NEARBY TO THE ROAD PARKING BEHIND WITH NO ADDITIONAL CURB CUTS ON THE GREEN RIVER, CURB CUTS COMING OFF OF NORTH WIND. AND I'M VERY PLEASED WITH HOW THE SITE IS LAID OUT. I THINK IT'S GOING TO BE IN KEEPING WITH THE VISION THAT WE'RE HOPEFULLY GOING TO BE IMPLEMENTING IN THIS AREA IN SHORT ORDER. SO JUST A SOMETHING I WANTED TO ADD ON. IT'S NOT GERMANE, LIKE I SAID TO THIS VARIANCE REQUEST, BUT I DO BELIEVE THAT IT'S OF OF INTEREST IN VALUE TO THE TO THE TOWNSHIP TO BE HAVING APPLICANTS THAT ARE MOVING US IN THAT DIRECTION, EVEN IF WE'RE NOT QUITE THERE YET OURSELVES. YEAH, EXCELLENT POINT. THANK YOU. MEMBER HENDRICKSON. AND I WILL JUST SAY THAT I DO FEEL LIKE THE WAY THAT THIS SITE IS LAID OUT IN PUSHING THOSE TWO PARCELS TOGETHER AGAIN BEING, YOU KNOW, KIND OF HAVING A FUTURE SITE HERE IS AN EXCELLENT SITE DEVELOPMENT FOR THIS AREA VERSUS WHAT IS THERE NOW AND KIND OF PULLING THIS CORRIDOR TOGETHER AND AND HAVING SOME. I MEAN, YES, I WOULD AGREE WITH WHAT YOU HAD TO SAY ABOUT NOT ONLY FOR BASE CODE, BUT JUST GETTING GETTING THE CURB CUT OFF GREEN RIVER, UTILIZING THAT LIGHT THAT'S ON NORTH WIND, THE CURB CUTS WILL MAKE FOR AN EXCELLENT TRAFFIC FLOW HERE. I THINK THIS REDESIGN OF THIS PARTICULAR PARCEL IS WOULD BE A GREAT ADDITION TO THE TOWNSHIP. SO YEAH, MEMBER OF OPSOMMER. THANK YOU, CHAIRMAN MANSOUR. SO JUST ONE QUESTION I HAD BECAUSE PUBLIC SAFETY COMES TO MIND FOR FOR ME IN GRANTING THE VARIANCE, BUT ESPECIALLY EARLY ON WHEN YOU HAVE HIGH DEMAND FOR PARKING AT THIS LOCATION. HAVE YOU CONSIDERED OR HAVE YOU DISCUSSED MEETING WITH HOBBY LOBBY AND DISCUSSING SHARED PARKING ARRANGEMENTS WITH THEM? [00:40:03] WE HAVE CONSIDERED THAT. I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE IS ANOTHER PROPOSAL GOING ON RIGHT NOW FOR A BANK THAT'S LOCATED AT THAT LOCATION. AND I THINK THAT THEY WERE HESITANT UNTIL THEY SAW EXACTLY HOW THAT WAS GOING TO PLAY OUT, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF THAT IS REALLY AVAILABLE OR NOT. AND I QUESTION THAT'S A PRETTY BIG STORM WHEN YOU LOOK AT THEIR PARKING RATIO. THEY PROBABLY NEED ALL OF THOSE SPACES, BUT WE CERTAINLY COULD ENTERTAIN THAT AND TALK TO THEM AND SEE IF THERE'S ANY TYPE OF A JOINT USE PARKING AGREEMENT THAT COULD BE WORKED OUT. BUT I REALLY DO NOT KNOW IF THAT'S AN OPTION OR NOT. I WOULD LIKE TO IF I CAN JUST SAY THAT THE IMPERVIOUS SURFACE COMPARED, IF YOU COMPARE THIS PLAN TO THE PREVIOUS OR EXISTING SITUATION, WE ARE INCREASING THE IMPERVIOUS AMOUNT OF SPACE BY 14 PERCENT COMPARED TO WHAT'S THERE TODAY. AND WHEN YOU DO TALK ABOUT WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN DOWN THE ROAD, WELL, THIS SITE PLAN IS DOWN THE ROAD COMPARED TO WHAT WAS DONE IN THE FIFTIES AND THEIR SIXTIES AND THEREABOUTS. SO THIS IS ACTUALLY REINVENTING THE SITE AGAIN. IT WOULD BE HARD TO FORESEE EXACTLY WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE, BUT THE OPPORTUNITY IF IT'S HAPPENING NOW, THE OPPORTUNITY IN THE FUTURE WOULD EXIST AS WELL. THERE'S A HIGH DEMAND IN THIS AREA. THIS PARTICULAR SPOT WAS COVENANT AND SELECTED BY THEM, AND IT'S REALLY EXCITING THAT THERE'S A SPOT THAT'S EVEN AVAILABLE FOR THIS TO FIT IN IN THIS LOCATION. AND IT'S RIGHT ON THE MAIN STREET. AS YOU POINT OUT, YOU GO RIGHT DOWN GRAND RIVER AVENUE AND. MR. OPSOMMER POINTED OUT IT'S IS WE MOVE THE SITE FORWARD AND IT'S ONE HUNDRED FOOT SETBACK. SO WE GAVE UP QUITE A BIT OF SPACE. THERE ARE THE CLIENT DID, BUT AT THE SAME TIME IT'S WORTH IT BECAUSE IT PRESENTS ITSELF WELL. IT SHOWS THAT YOUR COMMUNITY IS ALIVE RIGHT NOW. SOMETIMES WHEN YOU DRIVE DOWN THERE AND ALL YOU SEE IS CARS PARKED OUT BY THE MAIN STREET IN THE STORE. WHERE IS THE STORE? WELL, IT'S BACK THERE AND SOMETIMES MISS IT. SOMETIMES I GO BY. I DON'T EVEN SEE THE NAME OF IT DOESN'T REALLY MAKE AN IMPRESSION, A STRONG IMPRESSION THAT THERE'S, YOU KNOW, MERCHANDISE AVAILABLE AND WHAT IS IT? SO ANYWAY, THAT WAS SOME OF OUR ATTEMPTS. WE ALSO NEED TOOK A LOT OF WORK TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYTHING WE MET ALL OF THE REQUIREMENTS WHEN WE MET THEM ALL, THERE WERE JUST FOUR OR FIVE THAT WE HAD TO WORK ON TO GET IT DOWN TO JUST THE ONE REMAINING. AND IF IT WASN'T SO IMPORTANT TO THIS CLIENT, YOU KNOW, WE WOULD HAVE TRIED TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT. BUT THE PARKING IS IS VITAL FOR THIS TYPE OF OPERATION TO SUCCEED. MR. FORD, I WONDER IF I COULD ASK WHAT IF THIS VARIANCE ISN'T APPROVED? CAN YOU GIVE ME AN IDEA OF THE OF YOUR CLIENT AND WHAT THEY WOULD IF IF THEY'RE NOT ABLE TO REACH THIS PARKING, WHAT WOULD THAT DO FOR THIS DEVELOPMENT? I CAN'T SPEAK DIRECTLY ON BEHALF OF THE CLIENT, BUT WHAT I CAN DO IS BASED ON THE SEDIMENTS THAT I'VE HEARD AS WE WORK THROUGH THE DESIGN PROCESS IS THAT THIS WOULD PROBABLY THEY WOULD PROBABLY LOOK FOR A DIFFERENT LOCATION. OK, THAT'S HELPFUL. SO, ALL RIGHT. WELL, I THINK I'M READY TO GO THROUGH CRITERIA THAT EITHER OF YOU HAVE ANY MORE QUESTIONS. I THINK I'M GOOD. ALL RIGHT. CRITERIA NUMBER ONE, UNIQUE CIRCUMSTANCES EXIST THAT ARE PECULIAR TO THE LAND OR STRUCTURE THAT ARE NOT APPLICABLE TO OTHER LAND OR STRUCTURES IN THE SAME ZONING DISTRICT. I CAN MEET THAT HERE. I THINK IN JOINING THESE PARCELS TOGETHER AND CREATING THIS LARGE OF A SITE. I BELIEVE THAT THAT IN THIS COMMERCIAL DISTRICT BECOMES ITS OWN UNIQUE CIRCUMSTANCE, PARTICULARLY WITH THE LOCATION THE AS MEMBER OPSOMMER POINTED OUT, TRAFFIC SAFETY, PARKING CONCERNS, THOSE THINGS I DO FIND TO BE UNIQUE CIRCUMSTANCES FOR THIS PARTICULAR LOCATION. NO. TWO THE SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES ARE NOT SELF-CREATED. ONE MIGHT ARGUE THAT BY PUSHING THESE TWO PARCELS TOGETHER, THAT THIS COULD BE SELF-CREATED. HOWEVER, I DO THINK THAT IN ORDER TO REDEVELOP THIS, THESE TWO PARCELS INTO ONE LARGER PARCEL THAT IT'S IN ORDER TO REDEVELOP, THIS WOULD BE NOT SELF-CREATED. [00:45:02] YES. MEMBER HENDRICKSON. AND TO THE PREVIOUS CONVERSATION, THE PARCELS ALREADY BEING COVERED OVER AND BEING, YOU KNOW, ALREADY PAVED IS NOT A SELF-CREATED PROBLEM EITHER. THAT'S THAT'S EXISTING TO THE LAND RIGHT NOW. THAT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT THEY ARE PLANNING ON DOING. VERY TRUE. THANK YOU. AND CRITERIA NUMBER THREE, STRICT INTERPRETATION AND ENFORCEMENT OF THE LITERAL TERMS AND PROVISIONS OF THIS CHAPTER WOULD RESULT IN PRACTICAL DIFFICULTIES. I THINK THE APPLICANT HAS DONE AN EXCELLENT JOB EXPLAINING EXACTLY WHY THIS VARIANCE IS NECESSARY, NOT ONLY FOR A PUBLIC SAFETY STANDPOINT, FOR A SITE PLAN. I BELIEVE THAT IT COULD CREATE PRACTICAL DIFFICULTIES AND COULD ULTIMATELY TAKE THIS DEVELOPMENT WITHOUT THE VARIANTS. YES, MEMBER OPSOMMER. YEAH, I THINK YOU WOULD RUN INTO PRACTICAL DIFFICULTIES BECAUSE YOU WOULD INEVITABLY HAVE PEOPLE USING THE HOBBY LOBBY PARKING LOT. AND AS WE'VE HEARD AND AS WE KNOW, PRIVATE ENTITIES ARE PRETTY TERRITORIAL WITH THEIR PARKING. SO I STILL WOULD ENCOURAGE THE APPLICANT TO PURSUE THAT, BUT THEY'RE PROBABLY GOING TO GET A NO. AND SO WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO PARK THE SITE TO WHERE THEIR CUSTOMERS ARE LAWFULLY ABLE TO PARK. YEAH. AND TO PIGGYBACK OFF OF THAT, I THINK THAT EVEN WITH SOME KIND OF VERBAL AGREEMENT FROM HOBBY LOBBY, AS THE APPLICANT POINTED OUT, THEY THEY HAVE A VERY LARGE STORE. SO THOSE SPACES ARE NECESSARY. I ALSO FIND IT TO BE A LITTLE BIT OF A SAFETY CONCERN, THINKING ABOUT THE CROSSING ACROSS NORTH WIND THERE AND THINKING ABOUT PEOPLE CROSSING OVER, NOT AT THE CROSSWALK IN THE DARK. YOU KNOW, THAT'S ANOTHER ADDITIONAL REASON TO ME TO SUPPORT THESE ADDITIONAL SPACES, SO I BELIEVE I CAN MEET PRACTICAL DIFFICULTIES, THE ALLEGED PRACTICAL DIFFICULTIES WHICH WILL RESULT FROM A FAILURE TO GRANT THE VARIANCE WOULD UNREASONABLY PREVENT THE OWNER FROM USING THE PROPERTY FOR A PERMITTED PURPOSE. I THINK AS A COMMERCIAL BUILDING, YOU NEED TO HAVE THE PARKING AND AS MEMBER HENDRICKSON HAS POINTED OUT. USUALLY WE GET. CAN I HAVE A FEW LESS SPACES? BUT HAVING ADEQUATE PARKING, I DON'T THINK HERE IS A IS A NEGATIVE. AND I DO THINK THAT FOR A PERMITTED PURPOSE, FOR THIS PARTICULAR LOCATION, I CAN MEET THAT REQUIREMENT. CRITERIA NUMBER FIVE GRANTING THE VARIANCE IS A MINIMUM ACTION THAT WILL MAKE POSSIBLE THE USE OF LAND OR STRUCTURE IN A MANNER WHICH IS NOT CONTRARY TO THE PUBLIC INTEREST AND WHICH WOULD CARRY OUT THE SPIRIT OF THE ZONING ORDINANCE, SECURE PUBLIC SAFETY AND PROVIDE SUBSTANTIAL JUSTICE. AND I DID HEAR THAT YOU'VE GOTTEN IT BACK DOWN TO JUST THIS ONE VARIANCE SO THAT IN AND OF ITSELF SHOWS ME THAT THEY WORKED TO MEET THIS MINIMUM ACTION. YES, MEMBER HENDRICKSON AND TO THE CHAIR'S POINT ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY. I DO THINK THAT IT'S WORTH POINTING OUT THAT HAVING THE PARK HAVING SUFFICIENT PARKING ON SITE AND SUFFICIENT FLOW OF TRAFFIC ON SITE IS CRITICAL TO ENSURING PUBLIC SAFETY WHILE GOING ABOUT AND AND ALLOWING THIS BUSINESS TO OPERATE. SO I THINK THAT TO THAT, TO THAT EXTENT, THE PUBLIC SAFETY CONCERNS ARE BEING MET BY GRANT EXPERIENCE AS A MINIMUM OF ACTION. AND JUST SO THE APPLICANT IS AWARE BECAUSE WE TOOK THIS UP TWO WEEKS AGO, THE APPLICATION FOR THE CREDIT UNION THAT'S COMING IN ACROSS THE STREET WAS APPROVED THROUGH THE PLANNING COMMISSION, AND I BELIEVE IT'S COMING THROUGH THE BOARD MAYBE THIS WEEK OR NEXT WEEK. YEAH. SO THAT PROCESS OF THE BANK ACROSS THE STREET IS GOING THROUGH AND WILL BE COMPLETED AS OF NEXT WEEK, MOST LIKELY. SO IF YOU WERE LOOKING FOR AN OPPORTUNITY TO REACH BACK OUT TO HOBBY LOBBY TO DISCUSS PARKING, THAT MATTER SHOULD BE SETTLED IN A MATTER OF DAYS. YES, MEMBER OPSOMMER. THE ONLY THING I WOULD ADD IN TERMS OF PUBLIC INTEREST, WE ARE SEEING A REDUCTION IN THE IMPERVIOUS SURFACE AREA. SO THAT IS IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST IN THESE SITES HAVE SET IN THEIR CURRENT STATE FOR DECADES, AND SO IT'S UNCOMMON TO HAVE OPPORTUNITIES TO ACTUALLY REDUCE THAT IMPACT AND WE NEED PRIVATE INVESTMENT TO COME IN TO ACHIEVE THAT. SO I WOULD AGREE WITH BOTH OF YOU. THANK YOU FOR THOSE LOVELY POINTS. CRITERIA NUMBER SIX, GRANTING THE VARIANCE WILL NOT ADVERSELY AFFECT ADJACENT LAND OR THE CENTRAL CHARACTER IN THE VICINITY OF THE PROPERTY. I THINK MEMBER OPSOMMER JUST JUST STATED THAT ELOQUENTLY. I THINK THIS IS ONLY GOING TO IMPROVE THAT CORRIDOR, AND I THINK THAT IS ALSO THE APPLICANT POINTED OUT HAVING THAT BUSINESS RIGHT THERE ON GRAND RIVER IS ONLY GOING TO HELP THAT IMPROVE THE AREA AND THAT CORRIDOR. CRITERIA NUMBER SEVEN, THE CONDITIONS PERTAINING TO THE LAND OR STRUCTURE AND NOT SO GENERAL OR RECURRENT IN NATURE AS TO MAKE THE FORMULATION OF A GENERAL REGULATION FOR SUCH CONDITIONS PRACTICABLE. AND I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS A, WE CAN MEET THAT CRITERIA. [00:50:04] CRITERIA NUMBER EIGHT. GRANTING THE VARIANCE WILL BE GENERALLY CONSISTENT WITH PUBLIC INTEREST AND THE PURPOSES AND INTENT OF THIS CHAPTER, AND I CAN WHOLLY MEET THAT CRITERIA. SO ON THAT NOTE, DO I HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SAY ANYTHING IN ADDITION? SURE, SURE. MR. FORD, GO AHEAD. IT SOUNDS LIKE THERE'S A COUPLE OF CONCERNS THAT YOU HAVE. ONE IS THE ADDITIONAL OR THE ADDITIONAL PARKING IF WE NEED IT ACROSS THE STREET AND THE OTHER IS THE TRAFFIC FLOW. IF I COULD SAY THAT TERM, BECAUSE YEAH, GENERALLY THE SPEEDS IN NORTH WIND ARE FAIRLY SLOW. I MEAN, IT'S GOT A CURVE TO IT CAN ONLY GO SO FAR, SO FAST. AND AT THE SAME TIME, WE DO HAVE TWO EXITS FROM THE PARKING LOT INBOUND OUTBOUND. THE STACKING IS SOMETHING THAT I THINK YOU ARE ALLUDING TO, AT THE LIGHT. SO THERE MIGHT BE IF YOU NEED ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, IF YOU IF YOU WANT US TO LOOK AT THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE IN DEPTH. WE'D BE HAPPY TO DO THAT AND TAKE THE TIME NEEDED TO QUELL ANY CONCERNS THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE. THANK YOU SO MUCH. IS THAT YES, MEMBER HENDRICKSON. SO JUST TO MOVE US FORWARD A LITTLE BIT HERE IN OUR DISCUSSION, I'LL GO AHEAD AND MOVE THE APPROVAL OF THE VARIANCE REQUEST AND ZBA CASE NO.21-12-08-1 FOR 5030 NORTH WIND DRIVE SUITE 120 IN EAST LANSING. SUPPORT. ALL RIGHT. YES, I WILL JUST SAY I APPRECIATE THAT THAT YOURSELF AND YOUR APPLICANT OR I'M SORRY YOUR CLIENT ARE WILLING TO PUT FORWARD THAT TRAFFIC INFORMATION. I THINK THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL JUST FOR GENERAL. I DON'T THINK THAT IMPACTS OUR DECISION TONIGHT BECAUSE I THINK THAT THE PARKING ALONE BEING RIGHT THERE AT THAT LIGHT AND ALSO KNOWING AND KIND OF LOOKING AHEAD, MAYBE THAT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN WORK WITH WITH YOUR CLIENT JUST TO BE AWARE OF AND AND KIND OF MAKING STRIDES WITH. I DON'T EVEN THINK I FEEL WE NEED TO REQUIRE THAT, THAT THEY HAVE THOSE DISCUSSIONS. I DON'T KNOW THAT HOBBY LOBBY IS GOING TO BE PARTICULARLY RECEPTIVE. SO I DON'T FIND THAT TO BE A CONDITION THAT I NEED TO APPROVE THIS. ANYBODY ELSE FEEL DIFFERENTLY? MEMBER HENDRICKSON. IF THIS WERE A SPECIAL USE PERMIT AND YOU WERE COMING BEFORE THE PLANNING COMMISSION OR THE BOARD TO DISCUSS THAT, THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD REQUIRE, RIGHT? A TRAFFIC STUDY. BUT IN THIS CASE, IT'S NOT A REQUIREMENT. ALTHOUGH, AS CHAIR MANSOUR POINTS OUT, CERTAINLY WE WOULD BE HAPPY TO HAVE THE INFORMATION ABOUT HOW MUCH TRAFFIC IS GOING TO BE GENERATED, IF ONLY BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THERE MAY BE REQUIRED OR REQUESTED TIMING UPDATES AT THE LIGHT OF NORTH WIND AS YOUR CONSTRUCTION AND FINISHES AND CUSTOMERS START ARRIVING. WE DID HAVE PROGRESSIVE ENGINEERING. TAKE A LOOK AT THE TRAFFIC COMPARISONS AND THE TRIPS GENERATED FROM THE BUSINESSES THAT ARE CURRENTLY THERE AND THE AMOUNT OF TRAFFIC THAT THEY CREATED, EVEN WITH THE ADDITIONAL PARKING THAT WE'RE PROPOSING. IT HAD LESS OF AN IMPACT THAN WHAT IS EXISTING. YEAH. SO I DON'T THINK THAT THERE'S GOING TO BE AS MUCH OF A CONCERN AS YOU MIGHT THINK BASED UPON WHAT WE'RE HEARING FROM OUR TRAFFIC ENGINEER. IF THAT HELPS, YEAH, THAT THAT ABSOLUTELY HELPS. I MEAN, I THINK FOR ME, KNOWING THAT THERE'S AS MANY SPACES, I MEAN, I'VE BEEN TO A FEW TRADER JOE'S STORES IN MY TIME AND THERE'S NEVER 115 PARKING SPACES IN ANY TRADER JOE'S PARK THAT I'VE BEEN TO. SO I DO FIND THAT THIS IS AT LEAST ATTEMPTING TO ADDRESS THAT CONCERN. AND I THINK THAT, AS I MENTIONED IN OUR CRITERIA, I THINK THIS IS A MINIMUM ACTION IS AT LEAST GETTING TO THIS AMOUNT OF SPACE THAT WILL CREATE ENOUGH ROOM AND ABILITY TO ACCOMMODATE THE DEMAND. IT SEEMS TO BE SUFFICIENT TO ME SO. SO IF WE NEED TO TABLE THIS FOR US TO COME BACK TO YOU, WE WILL. I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT. WE DO APPRECIATE THAT. I THINK THAT AT THIS POINT, SIR, I THINK THAT YOU'VE GOT THREE YESES HERE. SO I DO. I TRULY APPRECIATE IT. AND I THINK THAT THAT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT IT IS WONDERFUL TO HAVE A DEVELOPER, A LANDSCAPER, AN ARCHITECT THAT IS WILLING TO SAY, LET'S MAKE THIS WORK. HOW DO WE MAKE THIS WORK? WE HAVEN'T ALWAYS HAD THAT. SO THAT'S REFRESHING AND VERY HELPFUL. AND I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT, BUT I DON'T THINK THAT THAT'S GOING TO BE REQUIRED FOR US [00:55:02] TO. BEFORE I LEAVE, I JUST WANT TO THANK KEITH AND TIM. THEY'VE BEEN VERY GRACIOUS AND VERY HELPFUL IN ALLOWING US TO NEGOTIATE THROUGH THE RULES AND REGULATIONS, AND WE REALLY DO APPRECIATE THAT AS WELL. ALL RIGHT. WELL, WE KNOW WE HAVE EXCELLENT STAFF HERE IN MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP, BUT WE ALSO HAVE STAFF AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPER OVER THERE IN THE CORNER THAT WANT MERIDIAN TO BE A GREAT PLACE FOR BUSINESS AND A GREAT PLACE FOR PEOPLE TO LIVE. AND THAT'S OUR FOCUS HERE. SO THAT'S THAT'S THE GOAL THAT WE'RE ALL TRYING TO ACHIEVE HERE FOR MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP. SO. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. APPRECIATE THAT WE CAN ALL WORK TOGETHER ON THAT. REALLY APPRECIATE IT. ABSOLUTELY. ALL RIGHT. ON THAT NOTE, ANYBODY ELSE HAVE ANY DISCUSSION BEFORE WE TAKE A VOTE? ALL RIGHT. WELL, I WILL START ALL THE WAY AT THE END THERE. MEMBER OPSOMMER. YES. OH, I'M SORRY. THIS IS A MOTION TO APPROVE THE VARIANCE REQUEST. MEMBER HENDRICKSON. YES. AND THE CHAIR VOTES YES. SO YOUR VARIANCE HAS BEEN APPROVED. MR. FORD, THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. ON THAT NOTE. YOU KNOW THAT I NEED TO GET BACK ON MY COMPUTER HERE. ALL RIGHT, LET'S SEE. I THINK THE LAST BIT HERE IS OUR OTHER BUSINESS, WHICH IS OUR 2022 MEETING SCHEDULE. [7.A. 2022 Meeting Schedule] YEAH. SO JUST REAL QUICK, WE TALKED LAST MEETING ABOUT THIS, AND I THINK WE CAME TO THE CONSENSUS THAT THE THIRD WEDNESDAY WOULD BE THE BEST. SO THIS SCHEDULE TAKES ALL OF THAT INTO ACCOUNT. OK. HAS EVERYONE, ALL THREE OF US HAVE HAD A CHANCE TO LOOK AT THOSE MEETINGS? DOES THAT WORK WITH WITH EXISTING MEETINGS THAT EVERYBODY HAD? OK, GREAT. ALL RIGHT. IN THAT CASE, I WILL MOTION TO APPROVE THE 2022 MEETING SCHEDULE, AS NOTED IN THE PACKET SUPPORT. OK, AND WE'LL GO THROUGH A ROLL-CALL VOTE. CHAIR MANSOUR IS A YES, MEMBER HENDRICKSON. YES. AND MEMBER OPSOMMER. YES. OK. THE 2022 MEETING SCHEDULE HAS BEEN APPROVED. DO I HAVE TO OFFICIALLY SIGN THAT? YEAH. SO I'LL EMAIL YOU A COPY. OK, SOUNDS GOOD. ALL RIGHT. ON THAT NOTE, I THINK WE ARE AT PUBLIC COMMENT. IS THERE ANYONE FROM THE PUBLIC THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON TONIGHT'S CASES OR ANY ZONING BOARD OF APPEAL BUSINESS AT ALL? OK. ALL RIGHT. IN THAT CASE, I WILL CLOSE PUBLIC REMARKS. BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS. [9. BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS] DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANYTHING THEY WOULD LIKE TO SAY? MEMBER HENDRICKSON. SO IT FALLS UPON ME THIS WEEK TO ENCOURAGE THE MEMBERS OF OUR VIEWING PUBLIC THAT SHOULD YOU WANT TO BE A PART OF THE FUND THAT WE HAVE AT THE ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS, YOU CAN COME ON IN AND SUBMIT AN APPLICATION TO THE TOWNSHIP. YOU CAN FIND IT AT THE TOWNSHIP WEBSITE. MERIDIAN.MI.US, WE HAVE A LOT OF FUN HERE. YOU CAN BE A PART OF MAKING THE TOWNSHIP A BETTER PLACE, LIKE BRINGING IN NEW BUSINESSES TO THE TOWNSHIP AND APPROVING DECKS AND HOMES AND ALL SORTS OF FUN THINGS THAT PEOPLE REQUEST. SO COME ON IN. IT'S NOW ONLY ONE MEETING PER MONTH, AND IT'S THE THIRD WEDNESDAY. AS YOU JUST HEARD, WE ARE SHORT ONE MEMBER CURRENT, TWO AND TWO ALTERNATES, ONE MEMBER AND TWO ALTERNATES. SO COME ON IN, YOU'LL GET A BACKSTAGE PASS TO GOVERNMENT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. MEMBER HENDRICKSON. THAT WAS AN EXCELLENT SALES PITCH AND ANY OTHER BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS. I WOULD JUST SAY I'M GOING TO BE THE ONE THAT WILL BE HOPEFULLY JUST CONTACTING BY EMAIL AND SEEING IF I CAN GET SOME SUGGESTIONS FROM ALL OF YOU. AS FAR AS PUTTING TOGETHER AN OFFICIAL LETTER OF SUGGESTIONS AS FAR AS REGARDING LAKE LANSING OVERLAY TO STAFF, TO TOWNSHIP BOARD AND TO PLANNING. SO LOOK FOR THAT EMAIL COMING SOON SO THAT WE CAN GET THAT OUT AND START WORKING ON THEN TOWARDS THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR AND LET THESE GUYS GET SOME IDEAS OF WHERE THEY SHOULD BE HEADED. SO LOOK FOR THAT FOR ME. BUT OTHERWISE, OTHER THAN THAT, WE HAVE A GREAT HOLIDAY SEASON. WE'LL SEE YOU NEXT YEAR. YOU TOO. ALL RIGHT. ON THAT NOTE, THIS MEETING IS OFFICIALLY ADJOURNED. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.