City Council

Armada Township PLANNING COMMISSION 23121 E. Main Street, P.O. Box 578 Armada, Michigan 48005 Telephone: (586) 784-5200 Facsimile: (586)784-5211 MINUTES September 1, 2021 In Person & Virtual Meeting 7:00 p.m. Regular Meeting 1. Call to order 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Roll Call 4. Approve/Amend Agenda 5. Approval of minutes: Regular Meeting June 2, 2021 6. Public Comments 7. Public Hearing 8. Reports & Correspondence 9. New Business: A.) Citizen Planner Capstone Presentation by Maureen Finn 10. Unfinished Business 11. PC Projects: A.) Ordinance Updates- Small scale entertainment, second homes on property; seasonal worker clause, limit size of attachment on garages, accessory structures, medical marijuana 12. Public Comments 13. Adjournment Next Scheduled Regular Meeting: October 6, 2021 Call to order: Chair Kehrig called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Pledge of Allegiance: Chair Kehrig led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance. Roll Call: Present: Finlay, Jabara, Finn, Kehrig, Murray, Wieske and Abercrombie. Also, present: Planner Laura Haw and Recording Secretary Christine White. Approve Agenda: Motion made by Murray, seconded by Abercrombie, to approve the agenda as presented. All Ayes: Motion Carried. Approval of Minutes: Regular meeting minutes June 2, 2021. Motion made by Murray, seconded by Finlay, to approve the minutes as presented. All Ayes: Motion Carried. Public Comments: None. Public Hearing Reports and Correspondence: Chair Kehrig provided handouts of a virtual seminar about the RTFA and the farm market GAAMP and went over the information with the commission. He also, noted planning & zoning news for June, July, and August 2021, upcoming programs and events from MSU Extension/Citizen Planner Program, e-mail correspondence from the township attorney and an e-mail from township planner Laura Haw. An update was included on Blake Farm’s and Krause pet crematoria. Also, a copy of Ray Township’s newly adopted Medical Marijuana Ordinance. Motion made by Abercrombie, seconded by Murray, to receive and file as presented. All Ayes: Motion Carried. New Business: Citizen Planner Capstone Presentation by Maureen Finn: Maureen Finn presented to the commission a presentation on medical marijuana. She gave a handout for the commission to follow along. She went through five case laws and explained each. She also explained all care-givers are not the same, and looks forward to moving ahead to help create an updated ordinance for Armada township. This presentation will allow her to receive the Master Citizen Planner certification. Unfinished Business: None. PC Projects: A.) Ordinance Updates: Small scale entertainment, second homes on property; seasonal worker clause, limit size of attachment on garages, accessory structures: Discussion of the Administrative Site Plan Review. Motion made by Abercrombie, seconded by Jabara, to eliminate Section 4.04 d.) Ayes; Abercrombie, Finlay, Jabara, Murray: Nays; Wieske, Finn, Kehrig: Motion Carried. Small Scale Entertainment, table for more information. Planner would like to research the Macomb County health standards regarding where the 1500-person capacity came from. Limit size of attached garages; planner will look at reasonable size for garages attached. Accessory structures in the front yard requires a special land use, Finlay passed out a handout explaining a way to allow a structure in the front yard. Kehrig took an informal vote of the commission. The majority would like to leave it as a special land use. Planner will add further language for special land use to the ordinance for the commission to look at. Second homes on property; seasonal worker clause is a discrepancy that the township attorney thinks should be cleared. Planner will talk to the township attorney before moving forward. Medical marijuana: Discussion of current ordinance, the planner suggested certain language be added. Heard from two residents with concerns that the township does not have an adequate ordinance compared to the surrounding communities that have increased standards. Motion made by Murray, seconded by Abercrombie, to recommend from the planning commission to the township board to authorize the township planner and the township attorney to draft an ordinance amendment on Medical marijuana. All Ayes: Motion Carried. Public Comments: Darcy Falkowski spoke about medical marijuana from neighboring communities and requested the planning commission take a look at the surrounding communities. Adjournment: Motion made by Abercrombie, seconded by Wieske, to adjourn at 9:30 p.m. All Ayes: Motion Carried. Respectfully submitted: Christine White, Recording Secretary Approved: DJ Kehrig, Chairperson_________________________________Date_____________________________