Stories indexed with the term ‘site plan’

A proposal to build 19 single-family houses on a 4.6-acre site on Hideaway Lane off Traver Road – near the city’s Leslie Park Golf Course – was recommended for approval by the Ann Arbor planning commission at its March 19, 2013 meeting.

Aerial map showing the location of the Hideaway Lane project.

Action on the planned project’s site plan and development agreement had been postponed at the commission’s Feb. 5, 2013 meeting. At that time, the city’s planning staff had cited the need to resolve several outstanding issues, such as determining the project’s impact on … [Full Story]

A site plan for a 14-story, 216-apartment building at the northeast corner of Huron and Division streets has been postponed by the Ann Arbor city council. The vote to postpone the 413 E. Huron project came at the council’s March 18, 2013 meeting. It will be back on the agenda for the council’s April 1 meeting.

413 E. Huron from the northwest. Division Street is in the foreground … [Full Story]

The site plan and necessary zoning for the Summit Townhomes project have been postponed by the Ann Arbor city council at its March 18, 2013 meeting. The items will come back to the council on April 15. The property is located at 2081 E. Ellsworth Road.

The parcel for the Summit Townhomes development (shaded yellow). The city council voted to postpone a final decision on zoning the parcel to R3 (townhouse dwelling district). … [Full Story]

The site plan as well as the zoning for a proposed retail development at 3600 Plymouth Road, just west of US-23, has received final approval from the Ann Arbor city council. The vote on The Shoppes at 3600 came at the council’s March 18, 2013 meeting.

Aerial map of the location for The Shoppes at 3600, located off of Plymouth Road west of US-23.

The developer hopes to build a 9,490-square foot, one-story retail building, to be constructed in what’s now the parking lot and front yard for a hotel, at an estimated … [Full Story]

The site plan for a large townhome development at the northwest corner of West Liberty and South Maple has received approval from the Ann Arbor city council. The council vote came at its March 4, 2013 meeting. The project had previously received a unanimous recommendation of approval from the city planning commission at the Dec. 18, 2012 meeting of that body.

Site of the Blue Heron Pond development at the intersection of West Liberty and South Maple … [Full Story]

A Civic News Ticker reported that the 413 E. Huron project received a recommendation of approval from the Ann Arbor planning commission at its Feb. 5, 2013 meeting. The vote was 5-3 in support of approval. However, six votes are needed for a formal recommendation of approval for a site plan, so the project received a technical denial. We note the error here, and have corrected the original report.

A proposal to build 19 single-family houses on a 4.6-acre site on Hideaway Lane off Traver Road – near the city’s Leslie Park Golf Course – was postponed by the Ann Arbor planning commission at its Feb. 5, 2013 meeting. Commissioners followed a staff recommendation, citing the need to resolve several outstanding issues. The vote to postpone was 5-3, with dissent from Bonnie Bona, Kirk Westphal and Diane Giannola. The item came up late in the meeting – after 11 p.m., following a long discussion and public hearing on the controversial 413 E. Huron project.

The project is located on the site of a development that began in 2005 but was never completed – and the site plan for that earlier … [Full Story]

Following a public hearing that drew 21 speakers – nearly all of them opposed to the project, sometimes making emotional pleas to halt the project – the Ann Arbor planning commission voted to postpone action on a site plan for 413 E. Huron, a 14-story residential development proposed for the northeast corner of Huron and Division streets. The vote took place at the commission’s Jan. 15, 2013 meeting, acting on staff advice for postponement. Staff had recommended postponing the vote because input on the project hasn’t yet been received from the Michigan Dept. of Transportation, which must weigh in because of the building’s location along a state trunkline – Huron Street.

The project, estimated to cost $45 million, calls for combining … [Full Story]

A 14-story apartment building at 624 Church St. is moving forward, after Ann Arbor planning commissioners unanimously recommended approval of its site plan and development agreement at their Jan. 15, 2013 meeting. It will next be considered for approval by the city council.

The move came despite objections from representatives of the adjacent Zaragon Place apartments, who had earlier emailed the city to raise concerns about how Zaragon – located at 619 E. University – will be impacted by construction at 624 Church. Zaragon opened a few years ago and is marketed to University of Michigan students. The developers of 624 Church intend to market their apartments to the same demographic. [.pdf of letter from Zaragon attorney] [.pdf of ... [Full Story]

Ann Arbor planning commissioners have recommended site plan approval for a residential development at 515 N. Fifth Ave., between Kingsley and Beakes on the west side of North Fifth. The action took place at the commission’s Jan. 3, 2013 meeting on a unanimous vote. The project is a three-story, 8,404-square-foot building with four two-bedroom units: two condominiums and two apartments.

The apartments would be on the second and third floors, while the condos would be on the first floor, with entrances from the north and south sides. Parking would be provided in an attached four-car garage in the front of the structure, though the garage openings are located on the side, toward the front of the building. [.pdf of site ... [Full Story]

Ann Arbor planning commissioners have recommended approval of a site plan for Summit Townhomes, a residential project at 2081 E. Ellsworth Road. The decision occurred at the commission’s Jan. 3, 2013 meeting.

Similar versions of the site plan had been previously postponed by commissioners in June of 2012 and again on Nov. 20, 2012.

At the June meeting, commissioners had approved annexation of the 2.95-acre site, just east of Stone School Road, from Pittsfield Township into the city of Ann Arbor. The annexation was subsequently authorized by the city council, but still awaits authorization at the state level. And at the commission’s Nov. 20 meeting, the zoning for the property – R3 (townhouse dwelling district) – had been recommended for … [Full Story]

The site plan and rezoning request for a new retail development – The Shoppes at 3600 – was postponed by the Ann Arbor planning commission at its Nov. 7, 2012 meeting. Commission discussion raised questions about the location of the building in the site plan, and about whether, if the site plan were not approved, the site should be rezoned. No date for reconsideration was set. The project would be located on the south side of Plymouth Road, west of US-12 US-23 and east of Green Road.

The plan calls for separating a 1.15-acre parcel off of an existing 10.85-acre hotel site, where the Holiday Inn North is now located. The smaller parcel would be rezoned from R5 (motel-hotel … [Full Story]

Food Gatherers has received approval to expand its large warehouse, adding cooler and freezer space to accommodate its focus on fruits, vegetables and other fresh food. The Carrot Way site, on Ann Arbor’s far north side, is a hub for the nonprofit’s food distribution. The approval came at the Ann Arbor city council’s Oct. 1, 2012 meeting. The city planning commission recommended approval of the site plan at its Aug. 21, 2012 meeting.

The site plan was a revision to the nonprofit’s planned unit development (PUD), which will allow for a 12,646-square-foot addition to the back of the existing 16,977-square-foot building.

That building houses the nonprofit’s administrative offices, storage warehouse, and training space. The plan also will add 22 parking spaces to the site, … [Full Story]

A plan to build a new Fiat showroom next to the post office on West Stadium Boulevard received approval from the Ann Arbor city council at its Oct. 1, 2012 meeting. The property is owned by the Suburban Collection of Troy. The site plan was recommended to the council for approval by the planning commission at its Aug. 21, 2012 meeting.

The property had originally been developed in the late 1950s as a gas station, but underground tanks have been removed.  It had been purchased by the Naylor Chrysler dealership in the mid-1990s, and most recently was acquired by the Suburban Collection of Troy, which operates a Chrysler Jeep dealership across the street at 2060 W. Stadium. Suburban also owns local Cadillac … [Full Story]

Ann Arbor planning commission meeting (Aug. 21, 2012): Projects related to food, Fiats and housing all won recommendations for approval at the most recent planning commission meeting.

Ann Arbor’s planning manager, Wendy Rampson stands next to planning commissioner Wendy Woods before the start of the commission’s Aug. 21, 2012 meeting. (Photos by the writer.)

Food Gatherers hopes to expand its large warehouse, adding cooler and freezer space to accommodate its focus on fruits, vegetables and other fresh food. The Carrot Way site, on Ann Arbor’s far north side, is a hub for the nonprofit’s food distribution – staff and volunteers distributed about 5.75 million pounds tons of food in the last fiscal year to those in need. Several commissioners praised the work. They had only a few questions or comments about the project, including a suggestion to use graywater for irrigating gardens on the site.

Also winning approval was a plan to build a new Fiat showroom next to the post office on West Stadium Boulevard, now owned by the Suburban Collection of Troy. The color scheme for Fiat is scarlet and gray, which elicited some ribbing from commissioners that the building’s designer had heard before. And no, he said, there’s no maize-and-blue dealership being planned for Columbus, Ohio.

The third project on the commission’s Aug. 21 agenda was also competitively colored: Changes in the site plan for Plymouth Green Crossings. The owner is asking for several alterations to a 2006 plan – adding parking spaces, eliminating a proposed freestanding restaurant, and more than doubling the permitted amount of space that can be used for restaurants on the site. Currently, the complex includes a bank and two mixed-use buildings with housing and retail/commercial businesses.

All three projects will move on to the Ann Arbor city council for consideration. [Full Story]

The site plan for a new Fiat showroom at 2095 W. Stadium Boulevard was recommended for approval by the Ann Arbor planning commission at its Aug. 21, 2012 meeting.

The plan calls for demolishing a 2,505-square-foot automotive service building and constructing a 3,408-square-foot showroom. The 30,010-square-foot site is zoned C3 (fringe commercial) and is located next to the post office on the west side of Stadium between Federal Drive and East Liberty. It was recently acquired by the Suburban Collection of Troy, which operates a Chrysler Jeep dealership across the street at 2060 W. Stadium. Suburban also owns Cadillac and Chevrolet dealerships located on Jackson Avenue.

The planning staff had recommended this project for approval. It will now be forwarded to the city council for … [Full Story]

A request to change the site plan for Plymouth Green Crossings – a mixed-use complex off of Plymouth Road, west of Green Road – was unanimously recommended for approval by the Ann Arbor planning commissioners at their Aug. 21, 2012 meeting.

The original planned unit development (PUD) agreement was approved in early 2006. The site includes a bank, two mixed-use buildings (housing and retail/commercial) and attached garages.

The current request proposes six major changes: (1) allowing the ground floor of a proposed three-story mixed-use building – on the site’s northeast corner – to be used for parking or flexible space for special events; (2) increasing the use of potential restaurant space within the site from 7,000 square feet to 14,224 square feet; (3) eliminating … [Full Story]

Ann Arbor planning commission meeting (July 17, 2012): Two projects – one public, one private – dominated discussion at the most recent planning commission meeting.

Kirk Westphal oversees a vote at the July 17, 2012 Ann Arbor planning commission meeting. He was elected chair at the start of the meeting. In the foreground is commissioner Eleanore Adenekan. (Photos by the writer.)

Commissioners reviewed a site plan for the new Blake Transit Center (BTC), the main downtown hub for the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority. A new two-story transit center will be constructed on the same parcel as the existing center, midblock between Fourth and Fifth avenues, north of William and south of the federal building. But the new building will be located on the east side of that site – near Fifth Avenue, opposite its current location – and the direction of the current bus lane will be reversed. Buses will enter Fourth Avenue into an eastbound lane that exits onto Fifth.

Commissioners voiced a variety of concerns and feedback, centered on improving the pedestrian experience and the appearance of the building and landscaping. They elicited the fact that although zoning would allow for a structure up to 180 feet tall – about 16 stories – the foundation for the new BTC is planned to accommodate only four stories, with a two-story structure to be built initially.

Kirk Westphal said he’d been a bit surprised by news that the AATA is interested in buying the adjacent Fifth & William lot from the city. That possibility was mentioned as part of a design review committee report. He urged AATA’s CEO, Michael Ford, to talk with the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority about the AATA’s plans for Fifth & William, and to see if the DDA might be interested in collaborating to increase the footings and allow for a taller structure in the future. He noted that the DDA’s Connecting William Street effort, focused on plans to possibly develop certain city-owned sites, includes the Fifth & William lot.

As a public entity, the AATA does not have to follow the process for site plan approval that is required of private-sector property owners. The process is being conducted for review and input only. However, the planning commission did take a vote, unanimously affirming that the project does meet city requirements for private development, except for interior landscaping and driveway width. It will next be reviewed by the city council.

Another project that drew discussion is a private development proposed by Tom Fitzsimmons, for a three-story townhouse with five housing units at 922-926 Catherine St. During public commentary, several neighbors – including residents of the adjacent Catherine Commons condominiums – spoke in support of the project. However, some of them raised concerns about backups in the stormwater system, which is already a problem along Catherine Street. Staff indicated that those issues are likely tied to design flaws on the site of Catherine Commons. Members of the development team for the new project told commissioners that an underground stormwater detention system on their site could improve the situation along the street, and at the least would not make it worse.

Also at the July 17 meeting, three projects that had previously been considered by commissioners were back for various reasons. A site plan for a Speedway gas station at the northeast corner of North Maple and Miller had been postponed at the commission’s June 5 meeting, but was approved on July 17. Also approved by commissioners was a revised site plan for 2161 W. Stadium Blvd., where a Noodles & Co. restaurant is planned. Commissioners had signed off on the original project at their March 6, 2012 meeting – the revision involves shifting the building’s location 21 feet to the north. The former Sze-Chuan West restaurant there has already been demolished.

And parking for the Chalmers Place retail center on Washtenaw Avenue emerged again at the July 17 meeting. Commissioners approved a plan to increase the number of parking spaces on the center’s site from 88 to 112. A different parking plan had been rejected by the planning commission on May 1, after several neighbors spoke against it. There was no opposition to the new proposal. [Full Story]

At its July 17, 2012 meeting, the Ann Arbor planning commission reviewed the plan for a new Blake Transit Center, the main downtown hub for the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority. Commissioners voted to affirm that the project meets city requirements for private development, with two exceptions involving landscaping and driveway width.

The new transit center will be constructed on the same site as the existing center, midblock between Fourth and Fifth avenues, north of William and south of the federal building. However, the new center will be built on the opposite side of that site.

Currently a one-story building, built in 1986, is located on the northwest corner of the site, near Fourth Avenue. Buses enter the facility from Fifth Avenue … [Full Story]

The site plan for a Speedway gas station at the northeast corner of North Maple and Miller was recommended for approval by the Ann Arbor planning commission at its July 17, 2012 meeting. The plan had been initially considered at the commission’s June 5 meeting, but was postponed.

The project is located at 1300 N. Maple on a 1.39-acre site. The proposal also included a request to rezone a portion of the site from PL (public land) to C3 (fringe commercial). Planning commissioners recommended that for approval as well. The recommendations will be forwarded to the city council.

The plan calls for demolishing an existing 1,500-square-foot vacant service station building, which was built in the 1950s, and constructing a new 3,968-square-foot, … [Full Story]

At its July 16, 2012 meeting, the Ann Arbor city council approved the site plan for the Maple Cove development located on 2.96 acres at 1649 N. Maple, north of Miller Road between North Maple and Calvin Street on the city’s west side.

The plan calls for combining two sites – 1649 N. Maple and 1718 Calvin – and demolishing an existing single-family home and detached garages there. Two 3-story apartment buildings would be built with a 64-space parking lot and eight bike spaces. The project also includes building a private street to serve seven new single-family houses near Calvin Street, but with an entrance off of North Maple. According to a staff memo, there will be no access to Calvin Street, which “is … [Full Story]

Following a planning staff recommendation, the site plan for a Speedway gas station was postponed by the Ann Arbor planning commission at its June 5, 2012 meeting. The project is located at the 1.39-acre site on the northeast corner of Miller and North Maple roads. Also postponed was a request to rezone a portion of the site at 1300 North Maple from PL (public land) to C3 (fringe commercial).

The plan calls for demolishing an existing 1,500-square-foot vacant service station building and constructing a new 3,968-square-foot, single-story gas station and convenience store with five pumps. The gasoline pumps will be covered by a 28-foot by 121-foot canopy. Fourteen parking spaces will be provided next to the convenience store, and six bicycle … [Full Story]

Following a previous postponement by the Ann Arbor planning commission, the site plan for a new DTE Buckler electrical substation at 984 Broadway near Canal Street got the go-ahead from commissioners at their June 5, 2012 meeting.

Commissioner Erica Briggs made a motion to postpone again, but it died for lack of a second. Briggs had not attended the commission’s May 15, 2012 meeting when this proposal was first discussed, and she expressed concern that the commission had not undertaken a broader conversation about the community’s energy needs. It was a rare opportunity for that, she noted, given that projects like this don’t occur frequently. She used an analogy to transportation – if a proposal came in to widen all the roads … [Full Story]

At its June 5, 2012 meeting, the Ann Arbor planning commission recommended approval of a site plan for the Maple Cove Apartments & Village development. The project is located on 2.96 acres at 1649 N. Maple, north of Miller Road between North Maple and Calvin Street on the city’s west side.

The plan calls for combining two sites – 1649 N. Maple and 1718 Calvin – and demolishing an existing single-family home and detached garages there. Two 3-story apartment buildings would be built with a 64-space parking lot and eight bike spaces. The project also includes building a private street to serve seven new single-family houses near Calvin Street, but with an entrance off of North Maple. The apartment complex would … [Full Story]

At its May 21, 2012 meeting, the Ann Arbor city council approved a site plan for the Allen Creek Preschool, located at 2350 Miller Ave.

The site plan had been recommended unanimously for approval by the Ann Arbor planning commission at its April 17, 2012 meeting. The commission also granted a special exception use for the project.

The project entails building a one-story, 929-square-foot addition onto the west end of an existing 3,111-square-foot preschool building, for a new total of 4,040 square feet. The preschool has an agreement with the Korean Methodist Church at 1526 Franklin Street to use eight parking spaces at the church lot. On-street parking is available on Miller Avenue and Franklin Street.

The special exception use is required because the project … [Full Story]

At its May 21, 2012 meeting, the Ann Arbor city council gave final approval to a rezoning request from AAA Michigan and approved the site plans for two separate parcels that are part of the same project on South Main Street. The council had given initial approval to the rezoning request at its May 7 meeting.

The rezoning request was to change half of a parcel located at 1200 S. Main to the P (parking) zoning designation.

The rezoning to P (parking) is part of a two-parcel site plan proposal – for which the city planning commission provided a positive recommendation at its March 6, 2012 meeting. At that meeting, the commission took two votes on the 1200 S. Main parcel – … [Full Story]

Action on a site plan for a new DTE Buckler electrical substation at 984 Broadway near Canal Street was postponed by Ann Arbor planning commissioners at their May 15, 2012 meeting. City planning staff had recommended postponement to allow more time to review several outstanding issues. For example, staff has recommended that DTE seek a variance from the city’s zoning board of appeals for a 100-year detention requirement – the proposed site plan would require such a variance. The site is located within the Huron River’s 100-year floodplain.

The project also needs a variance to the 15-foot conflicting land use buffer requirements along the east side property line, adjacent to Riverside Park. DTE is requesting a variance that would allow 33 trees and 38 … [Full Story]

A site plan for remediation of the MichCon property at 841 Broadway was unanimously approved by the Ann Arbor planning commission at its May 15, 2012 meeting. The proposal was made in conjunction with a site plan for a new DTE Buckler electrical substation on the opposite side of Broadway. Planning commissioners voted to postpone action on that site plan at the same May 15 meeting. MichCon is a subsidiary of DTE.

The MichCon site plan approval is contingent on three things: (1) obtaining variances from the city’s zoning board of appeals (ZBA) to exempt MichCon from providing a new stormwater management system; (2) obtaining a Michigan Dept. of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) permit for work within the floodplain and Huron River; and (3) indicating water main … [Full Story]

At its May 1, 2012 meeting, the Ann Arbor planning commission rescinded its previous action regarding a site plan for the Maple Cove Apartments & Village development and reconsidered the proposal. The reconsideration resulted in a postponement, to get more information from the traffic engineer about whether the proposed two separate entrances to the property created a health, safety and welfare hazard. The vote to postpone was 7-1, with dissent from commission chair Eric Mahler. Bonnie Bona was absent.

The commission had previously approved the project at its March 20, 2012 meeting. But that vote was rescinded because Scio Township residents on Calvin Street had not been included in an original public notice mailed out for the commission’s March meeting. There were no changes … [Full Story]