[00:00:03]
ALL RIGHT, WELL, WELCOME TO THE CHARTER TOWNSHIP OF MERIDIAN ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS MEETING.[1. CALL MEETING TO ORDER]
TODAY IS WEDNESDAY, JULY 20TH, 2022.AND I'M GOING TO GET THIS MEETING STARTED AT 6:31.
[2. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA]
OUR FIRST ITEM TONIGHT WILL BE THE APPROVAL OF TONIGHT'S AGENDA.DO YOU HAVE ANY MOTION ON THAT? SO MOVED. OKAY. MOVED BY MEMBER PRIMO AND SUPPORTED BY MEMBER DESCHAINE AND THE DISCUSSION ON THE AGENDA.
PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD TONIGHT.
NO DISCUSSION. WE WILL GO STRAIGHT TO A VOTE.
WE'LL START WITH MEMBER KULHANEK? YES.
AND MEMBER DESCHAINE? YES. MEMBER PRIMO? YES. AND THE CHAIR VOTES YES.
[3. CORRECTIONS, APPROVAL AND RATIFICATION OF MINUTES]
NEXT WE MOVE ON TO CORRECTIONS, APPROVAL AND RATIFICATION OF MINUTES FROM WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2022.ANY DISCUSSION OR ANYTHING TO CORRECT FROM THE MINUTES? I WOULD JUST LIKE TO ONCE TO TAKE JUST A SLIGHT MOMENT TO SAY ONCE AGAIN, THANK YOU TO THE PERSON WHO DOES OUR MINUTES.
BECAUSE I THINK THAT MEETING WAS VERY WELL AND CONCISELY NOTED FOR THE RECORD.
SO I DO VERY MUCH APPRECIATE THAT.
AND WITH THAT, I WILL MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FROM JUNE 15TH.
OK. AND IF THERE'S NO FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THE MINUTES, WE'LL GO TO A VOTE.
MEMBER DESCHAINE? YES. MEMBER PRIMO? YES. AND THE CHAIR VOTES YES.
SO THE MINUTES ARE APPROVED AND I DO NOT SEE ANY COMMUNICATIONS ON OUR AGENDA HERE, BUT I KNOW WE DID HAVE ONE THAT WAS SUBMITTED WITH THE NEW BUSINESS CASE FOR TODAY.
SO WE WILL ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WHEN WE GET TO OUR NEW BUSINESS.
OTHER THAN THAT, WE HAVE NO UNFINISHED BUSINESS.
[6A. ZBA CASE NO. 22-07-20-1 (6116 Columbia), Paul Andrus, 6116 Columbia St., Haslett, MI 48840]
SO LET'S GO STRAIGHT INTO OUR NEW BUSINESS, WHICH IS ZBA CASE NUMBER 20-07-20-1 6116 COLUMBIA.THAT'S PAUL ANDRUS, COLUMBIA STREET HASLETT, MICHIGAN.
48840. AND WITH THAT, MR. CHAPMAN, TAKE IT AWAY.
GOOD EVENING. SO THE APPLICANT IS REQUESTING A VARIANCE FROM SECTION 86442-F5A FRONT YARD.
THE FRONT YARD SETBACK SHALL NOT BE LESS THAN 20 FEET FROM THE STREET LINE, EXCEPT THAT IT MAY BE REDUCED TO AN AVERAGE FRONT YARD SETBACK OF HOMES WITHIN 150 FEET ON THE SAME SIDE OF THE ROAD. SO THE APPLICANT IS LOOKING TO CONSTRUCT A 400 AND APPROXIMATELY 420 SQUARE FOOT ATTACHED GARAGE AT 6116 COLUMBIA STREET.
SO CURRENTLY THERE IS A AN EXISTING 1351 SINGLE SQUARE FOOT SINGLE FAMILY HOME THAT WAS CONSTRUCTED IN 1922. AND SINCE WE'VE RECENTLY UPDATED OUR OVERLAY FRONT YARD SETBACK ZONING SECTION, WE NOW REQUIRE A MINIMUM OF 20 FEET FRONT YARD SETBACK, EXCEPT THAT IT CAN BE REDUCED TO THE AVERAGE YARD SETBACK OF HOMES WITHIN 150 FEET ON THAT SAME SIDE OF THE ROAD.
SO I HAVE A CHART HERE THAT LISTS THE SETBACKS FOR THE SEVEN PROPERTIES THAT ARE LOCATED ON THAT SIDE OF COLUMBIA.
THE AVERAGE SETBACK IS 18.5 FEET.
SO ONE THING I WANTED TO NOTE WAS THAT 6124 COLUMBIA STREET IS AN OUTLIER IN TERMS OF THE SETBACKS. SO IF WE LOOK AT THE MAP, IT SHOWS THERE'S A DETACHED GARAGE THAT SITS IN THE FRONT YARD, BUT THE HOUSE ITSELF IS ACTUALLY SET WAY BACK FROM THE ROAD.
AND SO THE WAY THAT WE INTERPRET THE LANGUAGE THAT WAS WRITTEN IS THAT THE FRONT YARD SETBACK IS THE HOUSE AND NOT THAT DETACHED GARAGE.
SO IF YOU DO LOOK AT THAT DETACHED GARAGE, THEN THAT SETBACK DROPS DOWN TO 11 FEET.
SO A VARIANCE OF FOUR AND A HALF FEET IS REQUESTED.
[00:05:05]
ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. CHAIRMAN, WITH THE APPLICANT OR THE APPLICANT'S REPRESENTATIVE TO COME UP AND SPEAK ON THIS CASE TONIGHT.WE MAY HAVE QUESTIONS FOR YOU.
YEAH, YEAH, I DON'T YOU DON'T YOU DON'T HAVE TO ADD ANYTHING IF YOU DON'T WANT TO.
BUT IF YOU WANT TO COME UP AND WE MAY HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU, THAT'S OK.
OK. YEAH, IF YOU HAVE NOTHING TO ADD, I THINK IT WAS PRETTY CONCISE, SO I THINK WE CAN GO AHEAD AND GET INTO MORE TIME. AND IF YOU JUST WANT TO STICK AROUND CLOSE BY AND WE CAN CALL ON YOU.
WHAT IS YOUR NAME, SIR? PAUL ANDRUS. OK.
ALL RIGHT. WITH THAT, WE ARE GOING TO CLOSE PUBLIC COMMENT AND GET RIGHT INTO BOARD TIME.
SO ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR ANYTHING? I'D LIKE TO GO. WE'RE TO GO FOR IT.
I GUESS I CAN START. I FIRST WANT TO THANK STAFF.
I THINK PUTTING TOGETHER THAT TABLE FOR THE STAFF REPORT WAS VERY APPRECIATIVE AND HELPFUL.
DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT THAT SECTION SAID PREVIOUSLY AS FAR AS WHAT THE PREVIOUS SET BACK REQUIREMENT WAS? SO IN THIS CASE, IT WOULD HAVE JUST BEEN THE 20 FEET FLAT OUT JUST BEEN 20 FEET FLAT OUT.
OKAY. I KNOW THAT WHEN I LOOKED AT A GOOGLE, I KNOW IT'S A BAD I'M TRYING TO THINK OF THE TERM IT'S NOT YOUR YOUR BEST EXAMPLE BUT I LOOKED AT A GOOGLE STREET VIEW AT THIS ADDRESS AND THE ADDRESS BEFORE IT OR STRAIGHT SOUTH OF IT.
SO IT LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING WAS THERE AND THEY TORE IT DOWN OR THEY WERE JUST IN WAITING.
SO THE QUESTION I HAD IS THE GARAGE THAT WAS BUILT DIRECTLY TO THE SOUTH, DID THEY HAVE TO COME AND REQUEST A VARIANCE AS WELL BEING THAT THEIR SETBACK IS PRETTY MUCH NEAR THE PROPERTY LINE? YOU WILL WE TALKING ABOUT ON THIS MAP RIGHT HERE? YES. SO THE ADDRESS WOULD BE 6112.
DID THAT PROPERTY HAVE TO REQUEST A VARIANCE? I HAVE A LIST HERE THAT WE PUT TOGETHER THAT I CAN PULL UP FOR A PREVIOUS CASE.
I GOT TO REMEMBER WHERE. ABSOLUTELY.
I WILL SAY WE HAVE HAD QUITE A FEW ON COLUMBIA STREET WITHIN THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS.
IT'S LIKELY THEY DID. I CAN, I MEAN, WE'RE, I'M FAMILIAR ENOUGH WITH THE STREET TO KNOW THAT THERE'S A LOT OF CONSTRUCTION GOING ON IN COLUMBIA STREET RIGHT NOW, WHICH IS NICE BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE FIXING UP THE HOMES.
EXACTLY. SO REGARDLESS OF WHETHER.
YEAH, I JUST WANT TO ASK THAT QUESTION.
SO THAT'S CARPORT. THOSE ARE JUST TERRIBLE, ESPECIALLY IN THIS STATE OF MICHIGAN WITH THE WEATHER.
AND THERE'S THIS BUILT PRETTY MUCH CLOSE TO THE PROPERTY LINE.
AND THIS ONE BEING PROPOSED IS NOT GOING TO BE ANYWHERE NEAR THAT.
AND IF WE DID, IN FACT, APPROVE A VARIANCE FOR THAT PROPERTY, I'M NOT SURE HOW THE CITY COULD NOT APPROVE SOMETHING FOR THIS APPLICANT BEING THAT THIS IS EVEN CLOSER TO THE ROAD THAN WHAT YOU'RE PROPOSING.
I DO APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT YOU HAVE THAT STRUCTURE THERE, THE LITTLE SHED.
DO YOU KNOW HOW CLOSE TO THE ROAD THE SHED WAS PREVIOUSLY? OR LET ME ASK YOU THIS, I GUESS, FOR THE APPLICANT.
AND WOULD THE GARAGE YOU'RE PROPOSING, WOULD IT BE CLOSER TO THE ROAD THAN WHAT THE PREVIOUS SHED WAS? AND IT'S GOING TO IT LOOKS PRETTY CLOSE.
IF YOU MEASURE IT FROM THE CAR.
COME ON UP TO THE MIC. YEAH, THAT'S OK.
YEAH. THE SHED EXTENDS BEYOND WHERE THE NEW GARAGE WOULD ACTUALLY GO UP.
YEAH. SO IT'S JUST GOING TO BE REMOVED COMPLETELY.
WITH THAT IN MIND, I'LL LET MR. CHAPMAN ANSWER MY FIRST QUESTION IF YOU HAVE ANY INFO.
I DIDN'T I DON'T HAVE IT ON MY LIST, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT IT DOESN'T HAVE A VARIANCE.
I MEAN, IF IT WASN'T THERE, THEN IT LIKELY DOES.
OKAY. WELL, REGARDLESS OF THAT, JUST BASED ON THE FACTS ON THE RECORD AND THE INFORMATION BY THE APPLICANT, I PERSONALLY DON'T HAVE AN ISSUE WITH THIS AND I JUST WANTED TO STATE THAT UP FRONT. THANKS, MEMBER KULHANEK ANYONE ELSE REMEMBER? JUST GO AHEAD. THANK YOU.
I HAVE A QUESTION FOR THE APPLICANT. THE FOOTPRINT OF THE GARAGE COMPARED TO THE FOOTPRINT OF THE OLD CARPORT, HOW DO THEY COMPARE? I THINK THEY'RE GOING TO BE YOU KNOW WHAT?
[00:10:01]
I DIDN'T MEASURE OUT THE CARPORT WHEN WE TORE IT DOWN.SO I. CAN'T BE SUPER PRECISE FOR YOU, BUT I ACTUALLY THINK IT TOO WAS GOING TO BE RIGHT AT THE MAYBE A LITTLE BIT LONGER THAN WHERE THE CURRENT GARAGE IS PROPOSED.
IT WOULD HAVE BEEN ALMOST EVEN, I THINK, AT THE AT THE CLOSEST TO THE STREET.
THANK YOU. I THINK I THINK ALSO THE FACT THAT THE NEIGHBORS ARE DON'T HAVE AN ISSUE, I MEAN, SEEM SUPPORTIVE OF THE IDEA AND AND IN THEIR MINDS, IT IMPROVES THE LOOKS OF THINGS AND SO FORTH.
I, I DON'T SEE ANY REASON NOT TO BE SUPPORTIVE OF THIS.
I DO ALSO VERY MUCH APPRECIATE THAT THAT TABLE.
AND I THINK THAT NOW WITH OUR NEW ORDINANCE IN PLACE HERE WITH THIS AVERAGE, I THINK THAT WE HOPEFULLY WE'LL WE'LL WE'RE GOING TO START TRIMMING DOWN THESE KIND OF VARIANCES BEING NECESSARY.
BUT FOUR AND A HALF FEET, I FEEL LIKE IS WE'RE LOOKING AT A AT A MINIMUM AS FAR AS A VARIANCE GOES.
I DO THINK THAT THAT'S WITHIN WITHIN WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT AT THOSE AVERAGES.
AND I KNOW IT IS KIND OF FUNKY WITH THAT 6124 BUT I THINK THAT IF WE DID TAKE IT AS THE ACCESSORY BUILDING, WE'RE LOOKING AT EIGHT AT 11 FEET AVERAGE.
HE WOULDN'T NEED THE VARIANCE.
SO IT'S IT'S A IT'S I UNDERSTAND THE INTERPRETATION AND I THINK THAT I WOULD SAY THAT IT'S IT'S TRICKY BECAUSE NOT A LOT OF THE HOMES HERE HAVE ACCESSORY BUILDINGS IN THE FRONT.
OTHER THAN YOUR YOUR HOME AND THIS OTHER THIS OTHER HOME THAT WE'RE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.
SO WITH THAT SAID, I DON'T HAVE ANY ISSUES WITH THIS EITHER.
SO I'D LOVE TO TAKE A LOOK AT CRITERIA AND JUST MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE IN LINE.
BUT I DON'T SEE ANY REASON NOT TO NOT TO APPROVE IT.
I DO. I'LL THROW IT OUT THERE FOR SAKE OF MEMBER FIELD-FOSTER WHO IS NOT HERE.
BUT MY QUESTION WOULD BE, DID YOU AS FAR AS PLANNING THIS GARAGE, WAS THERE ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM TO MAKE THIS ANY SMALLER OR MORE COMPACT OR WITHIN THAT FOUR FEET? OR IS THIS YOUR STANDARD GETTING YOUR TWO CARS IN THE GARAGE SIZE FOR YOU? YEAH. I MEAN, I HAVE MY CONTRACTOR HERE AND HE DID WORK WITH FOLKS AT THE TOWNSHIP AND I BELIEVE WE MADE ADJUSTMENTS TO THE PLAN AS WELL.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO. JUST I'M DOING MY DUE DILIGENCE FOR MY FELLOW A FELLOW BOARD MEMBER WHO'S NOT HERE THIS EVENING WHO I KNOW WOULD ASK IF SHE WAS IS THERE CAN YOU TALK TO US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE DESIGN AND HOW WE ENDED UP WITH THIS THIS THIS SETBACK AND AND AND WHERE WE ARE WITH IT? NOT IF WE'RE AT THE MINIMUM, WE COULD BE AT WITH THE SIZE WE ARE.
AND HE SAID, WHEN I TALKED TO KEITH, HE WAS SAYING IT HAD TO BE 20 FEET.
SO WE WERE WE WERE GOING TO ASK FOR EIGHT, EIGHT FOOT VARIANCE.
AND HE JUST SAID, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW, IS THERE A WAY TO SCALE BACK? SO WE DID TO THIS NEW PROPOSED PLAN, WE WE SCALED ONE GARAGE BACK TO 20 AND THEN THE OTHER ONE STAYED LIKE 23 OR 24 FEET JUST BECAUSE WHERE THAT'S AT, IT'S, IT'S LONGER FROM THAT POINT OF THE CORNER TO THE ROAD.
SO WE DID A LITTLE BIT OF ADJUSTING.
YOU KIND OF ADJUSTED BASED ON THE ANGLE OF THE LOSS.
I THINK THAT THAT ANSWERS THAT QUESTION.
AND I APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT YOU DID WITH STAFF TO GET IT TO THAT.
SO WITH THAT, I THINK I'M SATISFIED WITH THAT.
YES. WE HAVE HIM PUT HIS NAME AND ADDRESS.
ABSOLUTELY. YES. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
SO YOU COULD JUST STATE YOUR NAME FOR THE PUBLIC REFERENCE.
FELIX ALLEN INGRAM FROM INGRAM HOMEBUILDERS.
AND YOUR ADDRESS FOR THE PUBLIC RECORD? YEP. 1365 RED LEAF LANE, EAST LANSING, MICHIGAN.
GREAT. THANK YOU SO MUCH, SIR.
AND THESE UNIQUE CIRCUMSTANCES ARE NOT SELF CREATED, AND I CAN EASILY MEET THAT CRITERIA.
NUMBER TWO, STRICT INTERPRETATION AND ENFORCEMENT OF THE LITERAL TERMS AND PROVISIONS OF THIS CHAPTER WOULD RESULT IN PRACTICAL DIFFICULTIES THAT WOULD PREVENT THE OWNER FROM USING THE PROPERTY FOR A PERMITTED PURPOSE.
AND I, I CAN SEE THAT THAT WOULD CAUSE PRACTICAL DIFFICULTIES TO STRICTLY ENFORCE THIS.
[00:15:07]
SO I DO APPRECIATE THAT.AND THAT WILL TAKE US TO CRITERIA NUMBER THREE, WHICH IS GRANTING THE VARIANCE IS THE MINIMUM ACTION NECESSARY, WHICH WOULD CARRY OUT THE SPIRIT OF THE ZONING ORDINANCE, SECURE PUBLIC SAFETY AND PROVIDE SUBSTANTIAL JUSTICE.
AND I CAN ABSOLUTELY MEET THAT.
I VERY MUCH APPRECIATE WORKING WITH THE TOWNSHIP AND GETTING IT TO WHERE IT IS ON THE DESIGN CRITERIA NUMBER FOR GRANTING THE VARIANCE WILL NOT ADVERSELY AFFECT ADJACENT LAND OR THE CENTRAL CHARACTER IN THE VICINITY OF THE PROPERTY.
AND AS EVIDENCED BY THE LETTER FROM YOUR NEIGHBORS AND AS WE CAN SEE FROM THIS SITE PLAN, I BELIEVE THAT THIS WILL ONLY IMPROVE THAT THAT VICINITY AND CRITERIA NUMBER FIVE, GRANTING THE VARIANCE WILL BE GENERALLY GENERALLY CONSISTENT WITH THE PUBLIC INTEREST AND THE PURPOSES AND INTENT OF THIS CHAPTER.
AND I DO THINK THAT WE ARE AT WHERE WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE WITH THIS NEW ORDINANCE WITH THE AVERAGE.
I THINK THAT'S WHAT THE ORDINANCE WAS THE UPDATE WAS DESIGNED FOR.
SO I THINK THAT'S PERFECTLY WITHIN THE INTENT OF THE ORDINANCE.
SO WITH THAT, I, I SEE NO OBJECTIONS TO THIS ONE.
ALL RIGHT. IN THAT CASE, ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION OR DO I HAVE A MOTION? YES. MY FRIEND SHANE.
I MOVED TO GRANT VARIANCE IN THE CBA CASE 2207 20 6116 COLUMBIA DRIVE FOR PAUL ANDREWS OF THE SAME ADDRESS IN HASLETT, MICHIGAN, SECOND SUPPORTED BY MEMBER PRIMO.
I KNOW I'M MAKING A VERY DIFFERENT CASE.
EVEN A VERY NICE NEIGHBORHOOD.
WOULD YOU SHOOT IF YOU SHOOT YOUR APPLICANTS, THIS TAPE OF THIS MEETING TO SAY THIS IS HOW WE'D LIKE TO SEE IT GO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE LAKE? YES, THAT'S RIGHT.
WE LOVE IT. WE LOVE THE COMMISSION.
I'M CONVINCED WE ALL LIVE IN HOUSES THAT SOMEBODY DIDN'T WANT.
SOMEBODY SOMEWHERE DIDN'T APPROVE, RIGHT? WELL, ON THAT NOTE, IF THERE IS NO OTHER DISCUSSION, WE'LL GO TO A VOTE.
AND THIS IS A MOTION TO APPROVE THE VARIANCE FOR THE 4.54.5 FEET SETBACK.
AND THE CHAIR VOTES? YES. SO YOUR VARIANCE HAS BEEN APPROVED.
GO AHEAD AND BUILD THAT GARAGE.
SO WE WILL CLOSE PUBLIC COMMENT AND GO TO BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS.
[9. BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS]
ANYBODY HAVE ANYTHING WE'D LIKE TO SHARE WITH THE CLASS? I'D LIKE TO THANK STAFF FOR PROVIDING US WITH THESE PLANNING AND ZONING NEWS.SO THANK YOU. I HAVE TO FILE ON MY DESK.
YEAH, THAT'S GOING TO BE FUN READING.
WELL, ON THAT NOTE, I THINK WE ARE ALL SET AND I WILL GO AHEAD AND ADJOURN.
THANK YOU FOR COMING THIS EVENING.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.