[00:00:03] ALL RIGHT, WITH THAT THUMBS UP I GOT FROM OUR GUY OVER THERE. [1. CALL MEETING TO ORDER ] GO AHEAD AND CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER OF THE MAY 20TH, 2026 CHARTER TOWNSHIP OF MERIDIAN ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS MEETING. IT IS 6:30 ON THE DOT. WITH THAT, I'LL DO A QUICK ROLL CALL OF THE BOARD OF HERE, SEE WHO'S PRESENT. SO MEMBER BENOIT. PRESENT. MEMBER TREZISE. HERE. MEMBER NAHUM. HERE. AND VICE CHAIR IS HERE, AND I KNOW OUR REGULAR CHAIR MANSOUR IS GIVE A MESSAGE TO YOU, KEITH. I BELIEVE SAYING SHE WAS NOT GOING TO BE HERE TODAY. CORRECT. SHE CAN BE EXCUSED. WHETHER WE CAN DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT OR NOT BUT. [LAUGHTER]. MOVING ON TO APPROVE THE AGENDA. ANYBODY HAVE ANY SUGGESTED CHANGES OR REVISIONS OR ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA? IF NOT, [2.APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA ] ANYBODY WANT TO MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE AGENDA AS PRESENTED? I MOVE APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA AS PRESENTED ALL RIGHT. WE HAVE A MOVE TO APPROVE THE AGENDA AS PRESENTED AND A SUPPORT. ANYBODY WANT TO SPEAK TO THE MOTION AT ALL? NOPE. OKAY. I WILL DO A ROLL CALL OF THE VOTE TO APPROVE THE AGENDA AS PRESENTED. MEMBER BENOIT. YES. MEMBER TREZISE. YES. MEMBER NAHUM. YES. AND VICE CHAIR VOTES YES. MOVING ON TO NUMBER THREE. [3.CORRECTIONS, APPROVAL AND RATIFICATION OF MINUTES] CORRECTIONS, APPROVAL AND RATIFICATION OF THE MINUTES. HOPE YOU ALL HAD A CHANCE TO SEE THE FEBRUARY 18TH, 2026 MEETING MINUTES IN THE PACKET. ANY CORRECTIONS OR ANY CHANGES TO THE MINUTES? SEEING NONE. ANYBODY WANT TO MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES? MOTION TO APPROVE. SUPPORT. I HAVE A MOTION AND SUPPORT OF THE MINUTES. ANY QUESTIONS OR ANYTHING ABOUT THE MINUTES? IF NOT, I'LL DO A ROLL CALL IN THE MINUTES. THIS IS TO APPROVE THE FEBRUARY 18TH, 2026 MEETING MINUTES OF THE ZBA MEMBER BENOIT. YES. MEMBER TREZISE. YES. MEMBER NAHUM. YES. IT IS NAHUM, RIGHT? AM I SAYING IT CORRECTLY? BUT IT'S FINE EITHER WAY. OKAY. GOTCHA. AND VICE CHAIR VOTES YES. SO THE MINUTES ARE APPROVED. SO COMMUNICATIONS. I KNOW WE DO HAVE ONE COMMUNICATION. OUR PACKET THAT IS RELATED TO THE SECOND ZBA CASE. [ 4. COMMUNICATIONS] MR. CHAPMAN, IS THAT OKAY IF WE REFERENCE THAT WHEN WE GET TO THAT ZBA CASE? OKAY. SO KEEP THAT IN MIND. I DON'T BELIEVE WE HAVE ANY UNFINISHED BUSINESS SO WE CAN MOVE ON TO NEW BUSINESS. [6.A. ZBA CASE NO.: 26-05 (1614 & 1622 Grand River), TG Properties Meridian LLC, 3450 Okemos Rd., Okemos, MI 48864 ] AND WE'LL START WITH THE FIRST ZBA CASE TONIGHT, WHICH IS CASE NO. 26-05, LOCATED AT 1614 AND 1622 GRAND RIVER TG PROPERTIES, MERIDIAN, LLC. MR. CHAPMAN, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO YOU. YEAH. SO THE APPLICANT'S REQUESTING A VARIANCE FOR GASOLINE SERVICE STATION. THAT SHALL NOT OR THAT SHALL HAVE NO MORE THAN TEN VEHICLE FUELING STATIONS. THE APPLICANT HAS REQUESTED A VARIANCE TO EXCEED THE NUMBER OF VEHICLE FUELING STATIONS. THE SITE IS APPROXIMATELY 8.7 ACRE IN SIZE AND THE ZONE IS C-2 SO THE PROPOSED BUILDING WILL BE A 9810 SQUARE FOOT TAILGATERS GAS STATION, CONVENIENCE STORE AND DRIVE THRU RESTAURANT. A SPECIAL USE PERMIT WAS APPROVED BY THE PLANNING COMMISSION ON APRIL 27TH AND AS A CONDITION OF APPROVAL THE PLANNING COMMISSION PLACED A CONDITION THAT BASICALLY SAID THE APPROVAL OF THE SITE PLAN IS CONTINGENT UPON GRANTING THE VARIANCE BY THE ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF FUELING STATIONS FROM 10 TO 16. SO THE ZONING ORDINANCE ONLY ALLOWS A MAXIMUM OF TEN FUELING STATIONS. THE APPLICANT IS PROPOSING 16. SO A VARIANCE OF SIX STATION FUELING STATIONS IS REQUESTED. THANK YOU KEITH. ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS AT THIS TIME FOR MR. CHAPMAN BEFORE WE MOVE ON TO THE APPLICANT? WOULD THE APPLICANT OR APPLICANT'S REPRESENTATIVE LIKE TO COME UP AND SAY A FEW THINGS ABOUT THE PROPOSAL? IF YOU CAN JUST PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS FOR THE RECORD. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS JEFF HADDAD. I'M FROM TAILGATERS, 1622 WEST GRAND RIVER AVENUE. SO I'M REQUESTING A VARIANCE FROM SECTION 86-404 TO INSTALL 16 FUELING POSITIONS INSTEAD OF THE TEN ALLOWED BY CODE. THE PROPERTY IS DIFFERENT FROM OTHERS GOVERNED BY THIS ORDINANCE BECAUSE OF THE POSITION ALONG THE NORTH SIDE OF GRAND RIVER'S HIGH TRAFFIC CORRIDOR. THE ADDITIONAL FUELING POSITIONS WILL REDUCE ON SITE CONGESTION AND. ON SITE CONGESTION STACKING AND UNSAFE VEHICLE MOVEMENT. WITH ONLY TEN POSITIONS, CARS WILL QUEUE INTO DRIVE AISLES, POTENTIAL SPILL BACK INTO PUBLIC ROADS AND CONFLICT BETWEEN GUESTS JOCKEYING FOR FUELING POSITIONS. WITH 16 FUELING POSITIONS, VEHICLES DISPERSE EFFICIENTLY REDUCED IDLING WHILE WAITING FOR THE NEXT FUELING POSITION TO OPEN AND BETTER EMERGENCY ACCESS IF THERE EVER WAS AN EMERGENCY. LOOKING AT SOME OF THE NEAREST NEIGHBORS IN THE SAME USE THAT HAVE THE SAME USE, YOU CAN SEE TEN FUELING POSITIONS IS PROBLEMATIC. THE PARKING LOT BECOMES OVERCROWDED, WITH VEHICLES OFTEN HANGING OUT INTO DRIVEWAYS, AND PEDESTRIANS ATTEMPTING TO VISIT THE FACILITY ARE OFTEN LEFT DODGING VEHICLES [00:05:03] AROUND TIGHT SPACES, WITH TAILGATERS BEING THE FIRST PROPOSED FUELING STATION ON THE NORTH SIDE OF GRAND RIVER FOR SEVERAL MILES IN EITHER DIRECTION. A VERY SIMILAR OUTCOME COULD BE EXPECTED IF LIMITED TO TEN FUELING POSITIONS. ALTHOUGH JUST BARELY OUTSIDE OF MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP, LIMITS ARE OKEMOS ROAD LOCATION AS A PRIME EXAMPLE OF AN UNDERDEVELOPED STATION. THIS STATION HAS 12 FUELING POSITIONS, SO TWO MORE THAN IS ALLOWED BY ORDINANCE AND STILL FACES QUEUING ISSUES INTO OKEMOS ROAD FROM TIME TO TIME. THE OKEMOS ROAD TAILGATERS IS LOCATED IN A VERY SIMILAR HIGH TRAFFIC CORRIDOR. WHEN COMPARED TO THE TRAFFIC COUNTS OF THIS GRAND RIVER AVENUE SITE. WE LOOKED AT MULTIPLE LAYOUTS AND 16 IS THE MINIMUM NEEDED TO SAFELY ACCOMMODATE PROJECTED DEMAND WITHOUT CONGESTION. THIS REQUEST IS NOT ABOUT INCREASING INTENSITY BEYOND WHAT THE SITE CAN SUPPORT. IT IS ABOUT DESIGNING THE SITE IN A WAY THAT CAN SAFELY ACCOMMODATE THE TRAFFIC IT WILL ALREADY GENERATE. LIMITING THE SITE TO TEN FUELING POSITIONS WOULD CREATE CONGESTION AND UNSAFE CONDITIONS, WHILE 16 ALLOWS FOR PROPER CIRCULATION, REDUCE STACKING AND IMPROVE SAFETY FOR OUR GUESTS AND THE PUBLIC ROADWAY. ANY QUESTIONS? ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR THE APPLICANT? MEMBER TREZISE GO AHEAD. YEAH. I'M LOOKING AT VARIOUS MAPS HERE. I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHERE ON THIS LOT THE GAS STATION IS GOING TO BE SET. FIRST OF ALL, DO YOU OWN ALL OF THE LOT BACK TO GRAND RESERVE? YES. WE'VE GOT IT UNDER A PURCHASE AGREEMENT CURRENTLY. SO THE ODD SHAPED FIGURE EIGHT IN THE BACK IS PART OF WHAT YOU'RE BUYING? IT IS ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THAT IMAGE YES, WE ALSO HAVE THAT UNDER CONTRACT. OKAY. AND NO PLANNED USE AT THIS TIME. SO THIS DEVELOPMENT WILL BE ON THE SOUTH END. THE THE TWO LOTS FACING GRAND RIVER. IS THAT THE TWO LOTS PLUS WILL BE COMBINING A LITTLE BIT OF THE LARGER PORTION ON THE NORTH SIDE. CAN YOU GIVE ME AN IDEA HOW MUCH? JUST SO I WOULD SAY, WE'RE NOT USING LIKE THE NORTHERNMOST THREE ACRES, LET'S SAY. JUST AN ESTIMATE. AND THEN WE'RE USING ABOUT FIVE ACRES AND A LOT OF THAT FIVE ACRES IS DETENTION RELATED OR LANDSCAPING. WE'VE GOT A WE'VE GOT A LARGE LANDSCAPE LAWN PROPOSED. YES, WE ARE PROPOSING A CROSS ACCESS TO THE GRAND RESERVE TO THE NORTH. AND THEN WE'VE GOT AN EXIT ONTO CENTRAL PARK AS WELL. AND HOW CLOSE WILL YOUR DEVELOPMENT BE TO GRAND RESERVE WHEN IT'S BUILT? THERE'S A 300 FOOT SETBACK FROM THE GRAND RESERVE TO ANY COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT. COMMERCIAL OR RESIDENTIAL? [LAUGHTER] GRAND RESERVE IS RESIDENTIAL. CORRECT. SO FROM THE RESIDENTIAL WE HAVE A 300 FOOT SETBACK THAT WE HAVE TO MAINTAIN. ALL RIGHT. AND WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO BE YOUR OPERATING HOURS. WE'RE OPEN 24/7. THOSE ARE MY QUESTIONS AT THIS POINT. THANK YOU. ANYBODY ELSE HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR THE APPLICANT? I TRIED TO MAYBE PULL THIS UP, BUT HOW MANY PUMPS DOES THE SPEEDWAY ACROSS THE STREET HAVE? SO I BELIEVE THEY HAVE TEN FUELING POSITIONS. THAT'S ALL THE QUESTIONS YOU HAVE MYERS HAS 16. KROGER HAS 14. SO AND THEY'RE THE OTHER TWO CLOSEST STATIONS TO THIS ONE. OKAY. SPEEDWAY WAS THE ONE THAT I WAS KIND OF REFERENCING ABOUT THE CONGESTION ISSUES THAT YOU OFTEN SEE. I DRIVE BY THAT SITE JUST ABOUT EVERY DAY AND OFTEN SEE SOME STACKING ISSUES THERE. I ASSUME YOU HOPE TO TAKE SOME OF THEIR BUSINESS AWAY SO THEY WON'T HAVE THAT PROBLEM. [LAUGHTER]. YEAH. I'M NOT TRYING TO TAKE ANYBODY'S PIE. IT'S JUST. [LAUGHTER]. YEAH. IT'S OKAY. YOU CAN SAY IT. YEAH. THEY GOT A PRETTY FUNKY LOT. IF YOU DIDN'T THINK YOU WERE GOING TO MAKE SOME MONEY ON THIS, YOU WOULDN'T BE DOING IT. [LAUGHTER] SO THAT IS NOT A CONDEMNATION. NO OTHER QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. IF YOU COULD JUST HANG AROUND IN CASE SOMEBODY ELSE HAS ANOTHER QUESTION. BUT WE'RE GOING TO GO AWAY FROM THIS NOW AND GO INTO OUR ACTUAL BOARD TIME. PERFECT. AND THEN GO THROUGH OUR ACTUAL CRITERIA. SO WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO STAY UP AT THE PODIUM, OR? IN CASE ANY OF US HAVE SOME QUESTIONS WHILE WE'RE GOING THROUGH THE CRITERIA REALLY QUICK. YOU GOT IT. ALL RIGHT. WITH NO OTHER QUESTIONS, I CAN GO THROUGH THE CRITERIA STARTING [00:10:07] WITH NUMBER ONE. IT'S NUMBER ONE SAYS UNIQUE CIRCUMSTANCES EXIST THAT ARE PECULIAR, PECULIAR. I CAN'T SAY THAT WORD, PECULIAR. WOW. [LAUGHTER] IT'S BEEN A MONDAY. [INAUDIBLE] WHATEVER. THE LAND STRUCTURE THAT ARE NOT APPLICABLE TO OTHER LAND STRUCTURES IN THE SAME ZONING DISTRICT. AND THESE UNIQUE CIRCUMSTANCES ARE NOT SELF-CREATED. ANYBODY WANT TO COMMENT ON THAT? MEMBER NAHUM. YEAH. SO I SAW THIS PROPOSAL WITH THE PLANNING COMMISSION. AND IT IS TRUE THAT IT IS THE ONLY STATION ON THE NORTH SIDE OF GRAND RIVER FOR QUITE A WHILE, AND I THINK THAT WE SPENT A LONG TIME DISCUSSING GETTING ROUTES IN AND GETTING ROUTES OUT AND ALLOWING FOR EASY FLOW THROUGH IT, AND I THINK THAT WE WOULD EXPECT THERE TO BE MORE DEMAND ON STATIONS HERE THAN AT A REGULAR GAS STATION, LIKE A GAS STATION ON THE SOUTH SIDE. AND SO I WOULD SAY IT IS UNIQUE IN THAT IT IS THE ONLY STATION ON THAT SIDE OF THE ROAD FOR A FEW MILES, AND I WOULD THINK THAT WOULD QUALIFY AS A UNIQUE CIRCUMSTANCE. AS DESIGNED ALSO, IT HAS A DRIVE THRU. I ASSUME THAT'S A RESTAURANT FAST FOOD TYPE PLACE. SO THAT WILL ALSO DRAW MORE TRAFFIC IN THERE. YEAH. WHAT I NOTICED, LIKE YOU SAID, MEMBER NAHUM IS THAT THIS IS ON TRUNK LINES. THIS IS ON 43, WHICH IS A PRETTY BUSY ROAD AND IT WOULD BE TOUGH TO, I WOULD GUESS WITHOUT SPECULATING, THE ONLY WAY TO NOT HAVE YOUR 16 PUMPS AND DO THE REGULAR TEN TO FIT WITHIN THE CODE WOULD BE TO PUSH THIS THING BACK TO ALLOW THAT STACKING, BUT IT'S GOING TO BE DIFFICULT FOR YOU TO PUSH IT BACK BECAUSE NUMBER ONE, YOU'RE GOING TO BE GETTING CLOSER TO THE RESIDENTIAL USE, WHICH IS WHAT MEMBER TREZISE WAS GETTING AT. AND NUMBER TWO, YOU HAVE THAT BUSINESS THAT HAS THE DRIVE THRU. SO YOU'RE GOING TO BE SHIFTING EITHER THE BUSINESS CLOSER TO THE RESIDENTIAL, OR ALL THOSE CARS WAITING IN QUEUE AND CREATING A LITTLE SMALL AREA BACK THERE CLOSER TO THE RESIDENTIAL. SO IT MAKES SENSE TO TRY TO MOVE THIS ON. THIS FUNKY KIND OF SHAPED PROPERTY IS CLOSE TO THE ACTUAL MAIN LINE ROAD, WHICH WARRANTS THE MAY HAVE THE NEED AND WARRANT THE NEED FOR MORE PUMPS IN ORDER TO NOT HAVE IT QUEUE ON THAT TRUNKLINE HIGHWAY. OTHERWISE, THEY'RE GOING TO BE GETTING LETTERS AND EMAILS FROM MDOT SAYING YOU NEED TO FIX YOUR STUFF AND YOU DON'T WANT THOSE. SO I COULD SEE THAT AS MEANING THERE'S A UNIQUE CIRCUMSTANCE ON THIS TYPE OF PROPERTY FOR THIS PARTICULAR USE. I KNOW IT SAYS LAND OR STRUCTURE, BUT FOR THIS PARTICULAR USE ON THERE, BECAUSE OF THE MULTIPLE TYPES OF COMMERCIAL BUSINESSES ON THERE. ANYBODY HAVE ANYTHING ELSE FOR UNIQUE NUMBER ONE, I THINK WE CAN MEET THAT IF EVERYONE AGREES. ALL RIGHT. MOVE ON TO NUMBER TWO. STRICT INTERPRETATION AND ENFORCEMENT OF THE LITERAL TERMS OF PROVISIONS OF THIS CHAPTER WOULD RESULT IN PRACTICAL DIFFICULTIES THAT WOULD PREVENT THE OWNER FROM USING THE PROPERTY FOR A PERMITTED PURPOSE. ANY COMMENTS ON NUMBER TWO? THE ONLY THING I WOULD SAY IS THE. IF WE DID NOT DO THIS, IT MAY DISCOURAGE THEM FROM THIS PARTICULAR BUSINESS, BUT THERE ARE MANY OTHER BUSINESSES IN THE COMMERCIAL ZONING THAT COULD FUNCTION THERE WITHOUT THAT. I WOULD AGREE THOUGH. I MEAN, THIS IS ONE OF THE FEW UNDEVELOPED PIECES OF LAND IN THAT AREA TOO. AND I WOULD SAY THAT THIS IS A PRETTY COMPELLING USE OF THAT LAND. AND SO YEAH, I AGREE THAT IT'S NOT NECESSARILY YOU KNOW, LIKE THE LAND COULDN'T POSSIBLY USE FOR ANY OTHER PURPOSE, BUT I THINK THAT ALLOWING IT TO BE USED AS A GAS STATION IS KIND OF AN IMPORTANT PURPOSE THAT THIS LAND COULD SERVE. YEAH, I WOULD AGREE WITH BOTH, I THINK. I THINK OBVIOUSLY IT COULD BE USED FOR SOME OTHER COMMERCIAL, BUT WHAT'S IN FRONT OF US IS THE OWNER OF THE CONTRACT OWNER, WHICH IS THIS GAS STATION. AND THIS, I DON'T WANNA CALL IT A PARTY STORE, BUT STORE THAT HAS WALLS AND WALLS OF LIQUOR, WHICH I'VE BEEN TO THE ONE IN OKEMOS MANY TIMES, AND I THINK IT'S FANTASTIC, BUT WE'LL STRIKE THAT FROM THE RECORD. [LAUGHTER] BUT ANYWAY, YEAH, I THINK BASED ON THE CURRENT OWNER AGAIN, THE ISSUE WITH YOU GOT RESIDENTIAL BEHIND THERE AND THEN YOU GOT THAT FUNKY SHAPED LOTS. THEY NEED TO HAVE SPACE FOR SOME SORT OF BUFFER I THINK. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'RE PLANNING COMMISSIONERS GOT INTO THAT AND ASK ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT BUFFERING AND CONNECTING TO THAT. AND SO THAT REALLY WASN'T AN ISSUE THAT CAME UP IN PLANNING COMMISSION. AND THERE WERE NO PUBLIC REMARKS AGAINST IT EITHER THE PLANNING COMMISSION. WELL AND WE'RE NOT EVEN GOING TO DISCUSS THAT HERE. SO, I COULD SEE PERSONALLY MYSELF MEETING CRITERIA NUMBER TWO, JUST BASED ON THE FACT THAT AS THE CURRENT PROPERTY OWNER, THEM WANTING TO DO THIS GAS STATION, THIS BUSINESS, IT WOULD REALLY BE THE DIFFICULTY WOULD BE ON WHERE IT COULD BE LOCATED AND NOT HAVE THAT QUEUE OF THAT TRAFFIC BACK ON TO M-43 GRAND RIVER. ANYBODY HAVE ANYTHING ELSE DIFFERENT? YOU'RE STIRRING. AND PEOPLE ARE DRIVING ANYWAY, LIKE. AND SO, YOU KNOW, THEY COULD STILL GO DOWN THE ROAD TO GET A FEW MORE GAS STATIONS. [00:15:08] SO THAT'S KIND OF WHAT I'M STRUGGLING WITH INTERNALLY IS LIKE, YOU KNOW, YES, THERE'S A NEED FOR A GAS STATION. IS THERE A NEED FOR 16 PUMPS? I DON'T REALLY KNOW. I CAN'T BE THE JUDGE OF LIKE HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE GOING IN AND OUT OF THE GAS STATION ON A DAILY BASIS AND, YOU KNOW, THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC. THAT'S KIND OF OUT OF MY REALM OF EXPERTISE, BUT FROM JUST LIKE A VERY BASIC STANDPOINT, YOU KNOW, IF YOU BUILD A GAS STATION THERE, IT WILL OBVIOUSLY INCREASE DEMAND. BUT ALSO PEOPLE WILL, YOU KNOW, IF THE IF IT LOOKS A LITTLE FULL, THEY MIGHT JUST DRIVE THE MILE OR TWO DOWN THE ROAD TO GO TO THE NEXT SPOT. SO THAT'S WHERE MY THOUGHT IS. SO I DON'T THINK IT WOULD PREVENT FROM HAVING A GAS STATION, BUT YEAH. OKAY. OKAY PERMITTED PURPOSE. THIS IS A PERMITTED PURPOSE ON THE PROPERTY. AND IT WOULD PRESENT HARDSHIPS TO THIS PARTICULAR BUSINESS, WHETHER IT'S 16 OR 14 OR WHATEVER. I MEAN, I CAN UNDERSTAND THE NEED FOR A FEW MORE PUMPS THERE. MR. CHAPMAN, IS IT A BY RIGHT ALLOWABLE USE OR IS IT THROUGH THE SPECIAL USE? RIGHT. SO THAT'S ALREADY A KIND OF A STRIKE AGAINST THEM. THEY HAD TO GO THROUGH A DIFFERENT. WELL, IT'S WITHIN THE ZONING DISTRICT, BUT IT REQUIRES, LIKE SOME OTHER THINGS, DO A SPECIAL USE PERMIT FOR PERMISSION. YEAH. I THINK A LOT OF THAT WAS FOR THE DRIVEWAY, DRIVE THRU. ANYBODY HAVE ANYTHING ELSE FOR NUMBER TWO? I CAN AGREE THAT IT MAKES. IT MEETS THAT REQUIREMENT. OKAY. I WILL MOVE ON TO NUMBER THREE THEN. GRANTING THE VARIANCE IS THE MINIMUM ACTION NECESSARY THAT WOULD CARRY OUT THE SPIRIT OF THE ZONING ORDINANCE, SECURE PUBLIC SAFETY AND PROVIDE SUBSTANTIAL JUSTICE. ANY COMMENTS ON NUMBER THREE CRITERIA? I'M NOT SURE IT'S THE MINIMUM, BUT GIVEN THE DESIGN, WE HAVE THE SIGNIFICANT SETBACKS FROM ANY RESIDENTIAL OR OTHER DEVELOPMENT. I THINK IT MEETS THE SPIRIT OF THE ZONING ORDINANCE. I WOULD CONCUR. I WOULD AGREE. I COULDN'T TELL YOU I'M NOT A GAS STATION OWNER AND DON'T KNOW GAS STATION LAW. AND I COULDN'T TELL YOU WHETHER 14 IS REQUIRED OVER 16, I DON'T KNOW, BUT THAT'S WHAT'S BEING PRESENTED IN FRONT OF US AT 16 SO. WELL SAID. ANY OTHER COMMENTS ON NUMBER THREE? YEAH, JUST TO ADD THAT AT THAT, LIKE, YOU KNOW, THE GENERAL FOOTPRINT OF THE LOT AND THE GAS STATION WON'T REALLY CHANGE BY ADDING SIX MORE PUMPS, IN MY OPINION. IF YOU STILL WANT TO PUT A GAS STATION THERE, IT'S GOING TO BE A GAS STATION. AS LONG AS YOU FEEL LIKE YOU CAN FIT THE 16 PUMPS IT, YOU KNOW, I'D HAVE NO ISSUE WITH IT IN THAT REGARD. SO YEAH, IT WOULD JUST KIND OF ADD TO THAT REALM OF CARRYING OUT THE SPIRIT OF THE, OF WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO HERE SO. AND DEFINITELY SECURE PUBLIC SAFETY WITH THE NOT ALLOWING THE BACKUP. THAT'S THE WHOLE REASON FOR THE REQUEST OF THE ADDITIONAL PUMPS IS TO NOT LET THE QUEUE OF THE BATHTUB GO ONTO THE MAIN ROAD. OKAY. SO I THINK WE CAN MEET COLLECTIVELY NUMBER THREE CRITERIA. SO WE CAN MOVE ON TO NUMBER FOUR, WHICH IS GRANTING THE VARIANCE WILL NOT ADVERSELY AFFECT ADJACENT LAND OR THE ESSENTIAL CHARACTER IN THE VICINITY OF THE PROPERTY. ANY COMMENTS ON NUMBER FOUR? MEMBER NAHUM. YEAH, I THINK ADDING YOU KNOW, TWO MORE OR SORRY, SIX MORE PUMPS DOESN'T CHANGE THE FACT THAT IT'S A GAS STATION NOR I DON'T THINK WOULD CAUSE ISSUES FOR ANY NEIGHBORING USES. AND SO I, YEAH, I FEEL THAT THIS IS A RELATIVELY MINOR CHANGE THAT WOULD NOT CAUSE ANY, YOU KNOW, PROBLEMS WITH THEIR NEIGHBORS AND NONE OF THE NEIGHBORS DID ONCE AGAIN, DID COME FORWARD AGAINST THIS. ADDS TWO MORE ROWS OF PUMPS AND NOT A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE FOOTPRINT. OKAY. I WOULD AGREE WITH BOTH OF YOUR COMMENTS. ANYTHING? NO? LAST BUT NOT LEAST, CRITERIA NUMBER FIVE. GRAND THE VARIANCE WILL BE GENERALLY CONSISTENT WITH PUBLIC INTEREST AND THE PURPOSES AND INTENT OF THIS CHAPTER. COMMENTS ON CRITERIA NUMBER FIVE? MEMBER NAHUM YES. I BELIEVE THE ORDINANCE IS JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT WE AREN'T BUILDING ENORMOUS GAS STATIONS IN THE TOWNSHIP WHERE THEY'RE NOT NECESSARY. [00:20:05] I THINK THERE'S A COMPELLING ARGUMENT THAT THE PUBLIC INTEREST IS TO HAVE A EFFECTIVE YOU KNOW, EFFICIENT GAS STATION AT THIS LOCATION. AND SO I AM FULLY IN SUPPORT OF CRITERIA FIVE. SO YOU DON'T BELIEVE THE TOWNSHIP WANTS A BUC-EES HERE? [LAUGHTER] WE'LL HAVE THAT DISCUSSION WHEN THEY COME HERE PROBABLY TAKE UP THIS WHOLE LOT HORIZONTALLY EVEN THE TRUCKS DOWN. YEAH. GOOD POINT. ANY OTHER COMMENTS ON NUMBER FIVE? I THINK THE APPLICANT SAID A GOOD POINT THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU GOT A LOT OF TRAFFIC COMING FROM EAST TO WEST. AND THIS WOULD BE, AS YOU MENTIONED, THE PLANNING COMMISSION AS WELL. THIS WOULD BE THE ONLY MAIN GAS STATION ON THE NORTH SIDE. IF NOT, THEY WOULD REQUIRE A TRAVELER TO DO A U-TURN OR TURN LEFT, SOMETHING THEY PROBABLY DON'T WANT TO DO BECAUSE EVERYTHING SEEMS TO BE ON THE SOUTH SIDE. SO THIS WOULD DEFINITELY BE SOMETHING THAT I COULD SEE WITHIN THE PUBLIC INTEREST, ESPECIALLY FROM TRAVELERS COMING FROM THE WILLIAMSON AREA INTO THIS AREA. BUT OVERALL, I CAN SEE THE VARIANCE AS BEING WITHIN THE GENERAL PUBLIC INTEREST DUE TO THE SAFETY CONCERNS AS WELL. ANYTHING ELSE? SO SOMEWHAT UNRELATED, BUT, YOU KNOW, ONCE AGAIN I WOULD LOVE IT IF THERE WERE EV CHARGING STATIONS. ESPECIALLY GIVEN THAT THIS IS THE SOLE GAS STATION IN THIS DIRECTION. I KNOW THAT'S NOT PART OF THE PLAN. AND I KNOW THAT YOU MENTIONED IN THE PLANNING COMMISSION THAT YOU'RE PUTTING IN INFRASTRUCTURE SO THAT YOU HAVE THAT OPTION IN THE FUTURE. BUT YOU KNOW, WHILE I HAVE THE PULPIT RIGHT HERE, I WOULD SAY, YOU KNOW, I WOULD LOVE IT IF, IF YOU OFFERED THAT SERVICE, BUT THAT'S UNRELATED TO. ALL RIGHT. THAT'S IT FOR ME. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. SO WITH THAT, I THINK WE CAN GO AHEAD AND CLOSE THE BOARD TIME WITH REVIEWING THE CRITERIA. AND I BELIEVE WE HAVE AGREED THAT ALL FIVE OF THE CRITERIA COULD BE MET. SO DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? OR IF SOMEONE WANT TO MAKE A MOTION ON THIS CASE. 26-05. AT 1614 AND 1622 GRAND RIVER PROPERTIES, MERIDIAN LLC, 3450 OKEMOS ROAD, OKEMOS, MICHIGAN, 48864. TO APPROVE THE VARIANCE TO EXCEED THE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF VEHICLE FUELING STATIONS AT THAT PROPERTY. OKAY. IS THERE A SECOND? SUPPORT. ALL RIGHT. WE HAVE A MOTION AND SUPPORT. ANYBODY WANT TO SPEAK TO THE MOTION? IF NOT, I'LL DO A QUICK ROLL CALL. SO THIS IS TO APPROVE ZBA CASE NO. 26-05. MEMBER BENOIT. NO. MEMBER TREZISE. YES. MEMBER NAHUM. YES. VICE CHAIR VOTES YES. SO YOU ARE APPROVED. 3 TO 1. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE SUPPORT. THANKS FOR PUTTING TOGETHER THE PACKET, KEITH. YEP. YOU'RE WELCOME. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU SO LET'S MOVE ON TO THE SECOND CASE. [6.B. ZBA CASE NO.: 26-06 (1589 Lake Lansing), Mayfair Real Estate LLC, 1589 Lake Lansing Rd., Haslett, MI 48840 ] ZBA CASE NO. 26-06, LOCATED AT 1589 LAKE LANSING. I BELIEVE THIS IS MR. SCHMITT. TAKE IT AWAY. THANK YOU GUYS VERY MUCH. SO I'M GOING TO PULL UP GOOGLE MAPS HERE REAL QUICK. IT'S A LITTLE EASIER TO SEE WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT. AND SO JUST BY WAY OF BACKGROUND, WE'VE GOT MARSH ROAD, LAKE LANSING, HERE'S OBVIOUSLY LAKE LANSING ITSELF AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE MAYFAIR HERE. AND SO THEY HAVE AN EXISTING AREA TO THE REAR, WHICH OF COURSE CAN'T SEE BECAUSE THERE'S TREE BUT EXISTING AREA TO THE REAR OF THE BUSINESS THAT HAS AN EXISTING SHED. RIGHT HERE IS THE MAYFAIR AND THIS IS THE AREA WE'RE TALKING ABOUT REALLY CLOSE TO THE NORTHERN PROPERTY LINE THAT THEY SHARE WITH THE NEIGHBORING RESTAURANT BAR. WHAT THEY ARE PROPOSING IS TO REMOVE THE EXISTING SHED AND PUT TWO NEW FREEZERS IN. FUNCTIONALLY, THEY'RE TIGHT ON SPACE AND THIS IS THE BEST SOLUTION THAT THEY'VE GOT TO SOLVE THAT PROBLEM. AND SO WHAT THEY NEED IS A VARIANCE BECAUSE THERE IS NOT TEN FEET OF SPACE BETWEEN THE COOLER AND WHICH IS ESSENTIALLY ATTACHED TO THE BUILDING. SO THAT'S NOW YOUR BACK LINE AND THE FREEZER. AND IT'S A TEN FOOT SETBACK FOR ACCESSORY STRUCTURES FROM EXISTING STRUCTURES IN COMMERCIAL DISTRICTS. SO THAT'S THE QUESTION IN FRONT OF YOU THIS EVENING. THE APPLICANT IS HERE. YOU CAN SPEAK FURTHER TO THIS AND I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. [00:25:03] THANK YOU. ANY QUESTIONS FOR MR. SCHMITT AT THIS TIME? IF NOT, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO THE APPLICANT TO SPEAK ON IT AGAIN FOR JUST FOR THE RECORD, YOUR NAME, PLEASE. AND YOUR ADDRESS. YEAH. JOSH WING, MAYFAIR BAR. REALLY, WHAT THIS COMES DOWN TO IS A LACK OF FREEZER SPACE. AS YOU ALL PROBABLY KNOW, THE MAYFAIR IS LANDLOCKED. THE LEFT AND RIGHT ARE THE BLUE GILL AND THE LIQUOR STORE. THE TOWNSHIP OWNS THE PARKING LOTS IN THE FRONT. WE WOULD HAVE TO UNDERGO A MASSIVE RECONSTRUCTION TO REPLACE AND CHANGE THE KITCHEN. AND REALLY THE ENTIRE SETUP OF THE DOWNSTAIRS, WHICH I BELIEVE IS AN ELEMENT OF THE VARIANCE THAT LOCATION FOR THE TWO PROPOSED FREEZERS THAT WOULD BE SIDE BY SIDE IS REALLY THE BEST OPTION. THERE WOULD STILL BE SOME PROTECTION FROM VIEW OF, YOU KNOW, CONSIDERATIONS OF PEOPLE NOT LIKING FREEZERS. THERE'S A FENCE BEHIND THAT WHERE OUR DUMPSTER IS AND WE HAVE A OIL AN OIL DUMPSTER. AND SO THIS IS REALLY THE ONLY OPTION WITHOUT MASSIVE RECONSTRUCTION. THE REAL PROBLEM HERE THAT'S DRIVING THIS IS TWO THINGS, BUT IT'S GENERALLY JUST HEALTH DEPARTMENT RELATED. INGHAM HEALTH DEPARTMENT RELATED. WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH FREEZER SPACE FOR HOW BIG THE BUILDING IS. THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT HAS ACKNOWLEDGED THAT SINCE THE PATIO WAS BUILT IN THE 2000, THAT OUR FREEZER SPACE IS NOT ADEQUATE, SO WE NEED MORE FREEZER SPACE. AS PART OF THIS VARIANCE, I'D LIKE TO SOLVE ONE OTHER PROBLEM, WHICH IS ONE OF OUR FREEZERS. OF FREEZER ONE AND TWO ON SCREEN THERE. ONE OF THE FREEZERS IS ON THE INSIDE, BUT IT'S CUTTING OFF KIND OF WALKING AND FLOW IN OUR POOL ROOM. AND THERE'S ALSO SOME CONDENSATION ISSUES. SO THE PROPOSAL HERE IS TO FIX TWO THINGS AT ONCE. ONE, ADD THE FREEZER SPACE TO BE ADEQUATE WITH THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE AND THE STRUCTURE OF OUR TOP SHELF PATIO AND OUR DOWNSTAIRS BUSINESS, BUT ALSO MOVE THAT FREEZER THAT IS INSIDE RIGHT NEXT TO THE FREEZER THAT WOULD BE NEWLY INSTALLED. I WILL HAVE TO DO SOME MINOR CONCRETE WORK TO MAKE SURE THE SPACE IS FLAT, BUT THE SHED WOULD BE REMOVED AND THOSE TWO FREEZERS WOULD GO IN PLACE. OKAY. THANK YOU. ANY QUESTIONS FOR THE APPLICANT? MEMBER TREZISE. YEAH, I'M LOOKING AT ONE OF THE PICTURES YOU SUBMITTED. IT SHOWS THE DUMPSTERS AND THE CURRENT SHED. WHERE WOULD THIS THESE FREEZERS BE PUT? SO THAT SHED IS EXACTLY THE WIDTH OF WHAT THE TWO FREEZERS WOULD BE CONTEXTUALLY. THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IS THAT THE FREEZERS WILL GO FARTHER BACK THREE FEET, BUT THEY'RE GOING TO GO FARTHER BACK IN A CONTAINED AREA AND THE SPACE IS THERE. SO OUR DUMPSTER AND OUR FRYER OIL BIN ARE PROTECTED BY A FENCE FOR ESTHETICS. THEIR SPACE THERE IT'S NOT GOING TO IMPACT ANYTHING. NOTHING ELSE NEEDS TO BE MOVED. WHICH WAY IS IT GOING TO GO? IS IT GOING TO GO BACK INTO THE AREA WHERE THE DUMPSTER IS OR IS IT GOING? IT'S THE LAST PAGE. TOWARDS THE DUMPSTER. THE FREEZERS WILL START EXACTLY WHERE THE FRONT OF THE SHED IS. THEY WILL NOT COME CLOSER TO THE BUILDING. OKAY. YOU CAN SEE THE SPACE THERE BETWEEN THE DUMPSTER AND THE BACK SIDE OF THE FENCE BEHIND THE SHED. THE OTHER TWO SIDES OF THE FENCE WOULD BE SHIELDING ESTHETICS. OKAY. ALL RIGHT DO YOU HAVE THE PICTURE WITH THE CONES? YEAH. SO THAT SHED IS WHERE THE FREEZER WAS GOING IN THAT PICTURE AS WELL. OR BOTH FREEZERS. BOTH FREEZERS WILL GO THERE. THE WIDTH OF THAT SHED IS EXACTLY THE WIDTH OF THE TWO FREEZERS SIDE BY SIDE. SO THE WIDTH IS NOT GOING TO CHANGE. IT'S JUST GOING TO BE THE DEPTH BEHIND THAT SHED. SO THOSE CONES ARE INDICATING JUST KIND OF VISUALLY THE CORNERS OF THE TWO FREEZERS SITTING NEXT TO EACH OTHER. BUT IF YOU SWITCH TO THE OVER OR THE SIDE VIEW ONE OF THEM. TO THE SHED. SO IT'S GOING WEST FROM THE SIDE OF THE FREEZER? I BELIEVE SO. I'M TERRIBLE WITH DIRECTIONS. THE SHED GOES AWAY, THOUGH. RIGHT? THE SHED IS GOING AWAY. IF YOU COULD IMAGINE THE ONE THAT'S RIGHT HERE, JUST OFF THAT BOX THAT'S CREATED IS WHERE THE FREEZERS GO. AND WHICH WAY ARE THEY GOING? IT [LAUGHTER] IT'S SO THE LONG WAY IS, IS IT. BE FACING SOUTH, RIGHT? NORTH TO SOUTH. THE ENTRANCE OF THE FREEZERS ARE GOING TO FACE THE SAME WAY THAT THE SHED DOOR IS. AND THAT'S BETTER. THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT HAS INDICATED THAT'S BETTER BECAUSE THAT WAY THE ENTRANCE IS NOT AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC BEHIND THE PARKING LOT. AND FOR CONTEXT, AND THIS HAS ALREADY BEEN SHARED WITH THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT, THEY'RE GOING TO BE LOCKED. THEY'RE GOING TO BE USED FOR STORAGE. [00:30:03] DAY OF PREP AND STUFF WILL BE DONE IN THE MORNING. EVERYTHING WILL BE BROUGHT INTO OUR STAND UP FREEZERS. WELL, I WOULD ASSUME THEY'D BE LOCKED. [LAUGHTER] YEAH. OKAY. I'M JUST TRYING TO GET THE ORIENTATION. AND THAT LOCATION BACKS UP TO A BACK DOOR DIRECTLY TO OUR KITCHEN. THE OTHER BACK DOOR THAT IS SLIGHTLY TOWARDS LAKE LANSING IS. A BACK DOOR THAT GOES TO THE DINING ROOM, WHICH IS FAR, FAR, FAR FROM THE FROM THE KITCHEN. AND WHAT IS THE THE AMOUNT OF THE VARIANCE? THE NUMBER OF FEET. DO YOU KNOW TIM? IT IS LET ME DOUBLE CHECK, BUT I BELIEVE IT'S SIX FEET. THREE WE NEED THREE FEET. ADDITIONAL FEET FROM THE STRUCTURE HAD IT BACKWARDS IN MY HEAD. OKAY. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR THE APPLICANT FOR MR. SCHMITT? NO. OKAY. THANK YOU. DO YOU WANT ME TO STAY HERE? SINCE YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE HERE, YOU CAN IF YOU WANT. IF NOT, YOU CAN SIT DOWN. WE CAN CALL YOU BACK UP IF NECESSARY. ALL RIGHT. WE CAN GO INTO THE BOARD TIME OF REVIEWING THE CRITERIA SO. RIGHT BEFORE THAT, INDICATING THAT THEY HAD NO OBJECTION TO THE VARIANCE. YEP. I WAS GOING TO MENTION IT WHEN WE GET TO THE BUT YEAH, THANKS FOR BRINGING IT UP. YOU'RE GOOD BRINGING IT UP SO. THERE IS THAT IN THE PACKET. BUT WE HAVEN'T HEARD FROM THE TWO BUSINESSES ON EITHER SIDE. BUT THEY HAVE I HAVE TOLD THE BLUE GILL THEY WANT TO BUY THE SHED WHEN I'M DONE WITH IT SO. [LAUGHTER]. THERE WE GO. SO OBVIOUSLY THEY'RE FOR IT. OTHERWISE THEY'RE NOT GETTING THE SHED. THEY'RE NOT WORRIED. YEAH. ALL RIGHT. LET'S GO AHEAD AND GO WITH CRITERIA NUMBER ONE. I'LL READ THESE AGAIN AND THEN WE CAN HAVE SOME COMMENTS ON IT. SO NUMBER ONE, UNIQUE CIRCUMSTANCES EXIST THAT ARE THAT WORD TO THE LAND OR STRUCTURE THAT ARE NOT APPLICABLE TO OTHER LAND OR STRUCTURES IN THE SAME ZONING DISTRICT. AND THESE UNIQUE CIRCUMSTANCES ARE NOT SELF-CREATED. PECULIAR. I CAN'T SAY THAT FOR SOME REASON. [LAUGHTER]. COMMENTS ON CRITERIA NUMBER ONE FOR THIS APPLICATION. I THINK IT'S UNIQUE IN THAT THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT'S INVOLVED INDICATING THAT SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE FOR FREEZER SPACE. THERE IS NO LOGICAL OTHER PLACE TO PUT IT. SO I WOULD SAY THAT THAT IS MET. ANY OTHER COMMENTS? I MEAN, I WOULD ALSO ADD THAT THE APPLICANT MENTIONED THAT THEY'D HAVE TO DO MASSIVE RENOVATIONS TO, IN ORDER TO DO SOMETHING ELSE. AND THIS IS A KIND OF A QUICK FIX THAT MAKES SENSE AND KEEPS THEIR BUSINESS OPEN. AND, YOU KNOW, THE PEOPLE OF MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP THAT GO TO THE MAYFAIR PRETTY HAPPY THAT THEY CAN GO THERE CONTINUALLY WITHOUT ANY DISRUPTION. SO YEAH, I WOULD AGREE AS WELL. AND I WOULD SAY THE UNIQUE CIRCUMSTANCE IS THE FACT THAT THEY ARE LANDLOCKED [LAUGHTER] ON BOTH SIDES AND THEIR PROPERTY IS VERY MUCH CONSTRAINED SUCH THAT THE ONLY POSSIBLE EXPANSION WOULD BE TO THE REAR, WHICH IS WHAT THEY'RE PROPOSING. YEAH, I WOULD AGREE. I WOULD AGREE WITH ALL YOUR COMMENTS, BUT I DEFINITELY AGREE WITH YOURS. MEMBER NAHUM I BELIEVE WE CAN MEET CRITERIA NUMBER ONE. SO CRITERIA NUMBER TWO, STRICT INTERPRETATION AND ENFORCEMENT OF THE LITERAL TERMS PROVISIONS OF THIS CHAPTER WOULD RESULT IN PRACTICAL DIFFICULTIES THAT WOULD PREVENT THE OWNER FROM USING THE PROPERTY FOR A PERMITTED PURPOSE. ANY COMMENTS ON NUMBER TWO? IT SOUNDS LIKE IF THE FREEZERS DON'T GO IN THERE, THEY'RE GOING TO GET SHUT DOWN BY THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT. BUT EITHER THAT, OR IF THEY WERE TO DO THE EXTENSIVE RENOVATIONS INSIDE, IT WOULD REDUCE THEIR OPERATING SPACE FOR THEIR BUSINESS TO TO KEEP FLOURISHING. YES, I AGREE. ANYTHING ELSE? SO I THINK WE CAN MEET CRITERIA NUMBER TWO. CRITERIA NUMBER THREE, 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. COMMENTS ON NUMBER THREE. YEAH. I THINK THIS IS A FAIRLY SMALL VARIANCE OF ONLY THREE FEET. THEY'RE USING AN EXISTING AREA THAT'S ALREADY HAS A STRUCTURE ON IT. SO IT'S MERELY A SLIGHTLY CHANGE IN USE. AND SO I FEEL THAT THIS IS A VERY SMALL VARIANCE THAT THEY'RE REQUESTING. [00:35:05] AND I DON'T REALLY KNOW WHERE THEY WOULD PUT FREEZERS IN A BETTER POSITION TO REDUCE THIS NEED. AND I DON'T THINK THE TOWNSHIP COULD FORCE THEM TO SAY, NO, WE'RE NOT GOING TO LET YOU PUT A 4 BY 7. YOU GOT TO PUT A 4 BY 2. [LAUGHTER]. SAY FIVE FEET SO THAT YOUR VARIANCE CAN BE MINIMIZED. I DON'T THINK THE TOWNSHIP IS GOING TO REQUIRE YOU TO DO THAT. [LAUGHTER]. SO IT IS WHAT IT IS. AND I THINK THE THREE FEET IS PROBABLY THE MINIMUM, AS YOU SAID, BASED ON THE LOCATION OF THOSE. SO I JUST WANT TO ADD A 4 BY 7 IS ALREADY VERY SMALL. YEAH. AND THAT'S THE CONSTRAINT WITH GETTING FOOD IN THERE. AND THERE'S RULES THAT IT HAS TO BE OFF THE FLOOR. SO WE'RE VERY CONSTRAINED. WE COULD STACK THEM. [LAUGHTER] IT'S A PRETTY SMALL SPACE. I KNOW IT IS. YOU WALK IN THERE. ANYTHING ELSE FOR NUMBER THREE? OTHERWISE, I BELIEVE WE CAN MEET NUMBER THREE. NO, I'LL ADD THAT. GO AHEAD. FROM A UNIQUE, I MEAN, A UNIQUE CIRCUMSTANCE. BUT THE MAYFAIR HAS BEEN THERE FOR A WHILE. IT'S EVOLVED OVER TIME. JUST, YOU KNOW, BY ADDING A ROOFTOP AND THIS IS LIKE A SMALL, VERY VARIANCE TO CONTINUALLY ALLOW THEM TO EVOLVE AS A BUSINESS. AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, AS BUSINESSES IN THE TOWNSHIP CONTINUE TO YOU KNOW, BE HERE AND LIKE GROW, LIKE WE NEED TO KIND OF GIVE THEM A LITTLE BIT OF LEEWAY IN ALLOWING THAT GROWTH AS WELL. THAT'S A GREAT CALL OUT. I DIDN'T EVEN MENTION WITH THE NEW REDEVELOPMENT THAT'S HAPPENING AT MARSH AND HASLETT ROAD LIKE THIS WILL PAVE US FOR SUCCESS. TO BE ABLE TO FULLY OPERATE THE PATIO AT 100%. ANYTHING ELSE CRITERIA NUMBER THREE? I BELIEVE WE CAN MEET CRITERIA NUMBER THREE, COLLECTIVELY AS A GROUP. MOVING ON TO NUMBER FOUR, GRANT THE VARIANCE WILL NOT ADVERSELY AFFECT ADJACENT LAND OR THE ESSENTIAL CHARACTER IN THE VICINITY OF THE PROPERTY. COMMENTS ON NUMBER FOUR. I CAN SEE NO IMPACT ON THE NEIGHBORS. THE ONE CLOSEST RESIDENTIAL UNIT APPROVES IT. I DON'T SEE THIS HAVING [LAUGHTER] ANY IMPACT. AND I WOULD POINT OUT IT IS AN AREA THAT REALLY IS NOT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. IT'S NOT AN ENTRYWAY. IT'S NOT NEAR ANYTHING WHERE PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BE GOING OTHER THAN EMPLOYEES THAT NEED TO GO TO THE FREEZER. SO IT'S RELATIVELY SAFE FROM THAT POINT OF VIEW AND OUT OF THE WAY. SORRY. ONE THING THAT I JUST THOUGHT ABOUT. SO IS THIS GOING TO IMPACT THE ABILITY FOR LIKE EMERGENCY SERVICES TO ACCESS AN ENTRANCE INTO THE RESTAURANT? NO. OUR FIRE SUPPRESSION SYSTEM IS AT THAT BACK DOOR IN THE KITCHEN, BUT BECAUSE WE'RE NOT BRINGING IT CLOSER THAN THE SHED ALREADY IS, THERE'S NO CHANGE OR IMPACT TO IT. THE SPOTS THAT ARE BOTH RIGHT BEHIND THE BLUE GILL. WELL, THE SPOT THAT'S RIGHT BEHIND BLUE GILL WHERE THIS FREEZER WILL BE, THERE'S NOT REALLY A PARKING SPOT BECAUSE THE BLUE GILL STAIRS ARE GOING TO THE ROOFTOP PATIO. AND THEN ON OUR SIDE OF THE, THE DUMPSTER, IT'S JUST EMPLOYEE SPOTS. SO THEY MAY BE PARKED IN REGARDLESS. SO IF AN EMERGENCY VEHICLE IS COMING IN, IT WOULD BE THE SAME SITUATION. THE STRUCTURE IS NOT GOING TO IMPACT OR CHANGE ANYTHING. AND THESE FREEZERS AREN'T LIKE EXCESSIVELY LOUD OR THINGS LIKE THAT THAT WE MIGHT ANTICIPATE. ALL RIGHT. ANYTHING ELSE FOR NUMBER FOUR? I BELIEVE WE CAN MEET NUMBER FOUR AS WELL. LAST BUT NOT LEAST, NUMBER FIVE, GRANT THE VARIANCE WILL BE GENERALLY CONSISTENT WITH PUBLIC INTEREST AND THE PURPOSES AND INTENT OF THIS CHAPTER. COMMENTS ON NUMBER FIVE. IT'S AN ACCEPTED USE. IT'S A PERMITTED USE. IT'S AN OPERATING USE. AND THIS VARIANCE WILL NOT IMPACT THE NEIGHBORS. I DON'T THINK IT WILL CHANGE ANYTHING. I THINK IT'S IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST TO ALLOW A BUSINESS THAT'S BEEN OPERATING FOR MANY YEARS TO CONTINUE TO DO SO. THAT WAS GOING TO BE MY COMMENT, IS THAT, YOU KNOW, BEING THAT IT'S A CONTINUED BUSINESS, I THINK IT WOULD BE IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST TO KEEP THE BUSINESS OPEN AND OPERATING AND NOT THAT YOU WOULD SHUT DOWN, BUT YOU WOULD HAVE SERIOUS CONSTRAINTS IF YOU WERE TOLD NO BY THE TOWNSHIP ON THIS. AND THEN YOU'D HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHERE YOU'RE GOING TO PUT THOSE THINGS INTERNALLY. AND THAT MAY IMPACT SOME OF YOUR BUSINESS AND MAY NOT POTENTIALLY BE VIEWED AS IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST SO. YEAH, AND NOT TO BE DRAMATIC. I'M SORRY. YOU'RE GOOD GO AHEAD IF THAT WERE TO GO DOWN OR THERE WERE, IT BECAME A SERIOUS HEALTH ISSUE THAT WOULD CAUSE US TO POTENTIALLY SHUT DOWN OUR FOOD BUSINESS. RIGHT. SO I THINK WE CAN MEET NUMBER FIVE IF EVERYONE AGREES. SO SOUNDS LIKE WE CAN MEET ALL FIVE OF THESE REVIEW CRITERIA. SO DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY OTHER LAST QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS OR DOES SOMEBODY LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION ON THIS ZBA CASE. OH [00:40:05] 26-06, THE MAYFAIR BAR ALLOWING THEM TO BUILD THE FREEZERS THAT THEY'RE REQUESTING. SUPPORT. ALL RIGHT. WE HAVE MOTION AND SUPPORT. ANYONE SPEAK TO THE MOTION? ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE MOTION? IF NOT WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL ON THIS. SO THIS IS TO APPROVE ZBA CASE NO. 26-06 WITH THE VARIANCE OF THREE FEET. DID I SAY THAT CORRECTLY? VARIANCE OF THREE FEET? YES. CORRECT YES. MEMBER NAHUM. YES. AND VICE CHAIR VOTES YES. SO YOU ARE APPROVED. 4-0. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. MOVING ON. I DON'T BELIEVE WE HAVE ANY OTHER BUSINESS. THE LAST REMAINING PUBLIC AT THIS POINT. SO IF YOU HAVE ANY OTHER REMARKS. THANK YOU. ANY BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS ANYONE WANTS TO MAKE? [9. BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS] THANKS. MEMBER TREZISE. I WAS A LITTLE LEERY OF THE GAS STATION VARIANCE COMING IN HERE, BUT REVIEWING NEARBY GAS STATIONS THAT HAVE RECEIVED MORE THAN TEN UNITS OR TEN PUMPS SEEMS TO MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO SAY THIS ONE SHOULDN'T. AND SO THAT WAS ONE OF MY BASES FOR FAVORING THAT. I WILL SAY THE STAFF IS LOOKING AT WHETHER OR NOT WE NEED TO AMEND THIS BECAUSE OF THAT EXACT REASON. WE APPEAR TO HAVE CREATED TWO CLASSES OF BUSINESSES WITH THIS REGULATION. AND GENERALLY WE DON'T LIKE DOING THAT. MIGHT BE A GOOD IDEA TO AMEND TO REQUIRE A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF SQUARE FOOTAGE PER PUMP STATION AS OPPOSED TO THE NUMBERS. CORRECT. THAT'S A FAR MORE APPROPRIATE APPROACH. FAR. FAR RIGHT? BOARD MEMBER TREZISE'S POINT. YOU HAVE THE KROGER, WHICH WAS BUILT MORE RECENTLY THE MYER, WHICH MOST LIKELY PREDATES THE ORDINANCE. THE GAS STATION AT HAGADORN AND LAKE LANSING, WHICH WHEN THEY RENOVATED, HAD TO FOLLOW THE ORDINANCE. SO YOU THERE'S A LOT GOING ON HERE. AND SO IT IS SOMETHING WE'VE. IT'S IN THE BACK OF OUR HEAD THAT WE'RE ACTIVELY LOOKING AT THIS AND MAY APPROACH SOMETHING IN THE NEAR FUTURE. IS COSTCO IN THE TOWNSHIP? YES. [LAUGHTER]. THEY'RE NOT. BUT THAT WAS A DISCUSSION WITH COSTCO AS WELL. IN EAST LANSING HAS HAD SIMILAR CONVERSATIONS, RIGHT. AS THEY START TO HAVE NEW GAS STATIONS OR REDEVELOPED GAS STATIONS. YOU KNOW, HOW DO YOU COMPARE IT WHEN YOU HAVE EXISTING THINGS THAT HAVE GONE IN UNDER DIFFERENT STANDARD? IT'S A CHALLENGE, RIGHT? ANY OTHER COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD? I DON'T HAVE ANY. YOU GOOD? GOOD WITH THAT, I DON'T KNOW IF WE NEED A MOTION TO ADJOURN. IF NOT, WE CAN. I WILL MAKE THE MOTION TO ADJOURN. OKAY. I THINK WE'RE I THINK WE'RE GOOD. IF ANYONE WANTS THIS, I'LL SECOND IT. IT'S 7:13. WE CAN ADJOURN. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.