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 planning@armadatwp.org MINUTES Wednesday, June 7, 2023 7:00 p.m. Regular Meeting 1. Call to Order a. Chair Kehrig called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. 2. Pledge of Allegiance a. Kehrig led the Pledge of Allegiance 3. Roll Call a. Present at Roll Call: Chair Kehrig, Commissioners Abercrombie, Arnold, Jabara, and Board Liaison Murray. Commissioner Kutchey arrived 7:03, Vice Chair Finn arrived 7:12 b. Absent: None c. Also present: Planner Laura Haw and alternate Brigitte Smith, Recording Secretary Cris Martin 4. Approve/Amend Agenda a. Motion by Abercrombie, 2nd by Murray to approve the agenda as presented. All Ayes, Motion Passed 5. Approval of Minutes a. Motion by Murray, 2nd by Abercrombie to approve the minutes of the May 3, 2023, as presented. All Ayes, Motion Passed 6. Public Comments – None a. Public Hearing - None 7. Reports and Correspondence: a. Project Status Report – Kehrig read the project status report b. Master plan survey – Brief discussion on the results to date of the Master Plan Survey c. Published Version – Ordinance No. 114-42 Table of Permitted Uses – For commissioner records d. Current Planning and ZBA Contact List - For board use only 8. Unfinished Business: a. Hidden River Estates – Site Plan Review Cory Mabery of Davis Land Surveying presented the site plan, discussed the proposed splits including 8 housing units and 5 open space properties, the need to use Well and Septic, working with Spalding DeDecker on the issues with the road. The owner will be building the homes. The detention pond on 33 Mile Rd was approved by the County Road Commission, no additional permitting required, approval letter from county will be provided during engineering. Brigitte Smith presented the Planner review and recommendation to approve, noting that the entry sign, and landscaping for the main entrance and open space properties were removed and would require an amended site plan to be approved if desired in the future. The Master Deed has been reviewed as acceptable by the township attorney. Motion by Murray, 2nd by Arnold to approve the site plan as submitted for single family condominium development conditioned on addressing the engineer’s comments. All Ayes, Motion Passed 9. New Business  a. Dehondt Storage – Site Plan Extension Request Kehrig reviewed the letter received from Mr. Dehondt and the opinion from the township attorney on the Commissions’ ability to approve this extension. It was also confirmed that site improvements ended less than two years ago and an extension was allowed by the ZO. Discussion on whether the site plan has changed from the original approval, no laws have changed on a county or state level that could have impacted the site plan. Motion by Jabara, 2nd by Murray to extend the site plan for one year to June 7, 2024. All Ayes, Motion Passed b. Armada Center Car Wash – Site Plan Review Planner Haw outlined the reviews needed – change the shingles to metal roofing due to supply chain issue, add lighting to the site and correction on the landscaping that was identified in the original site plan. The applicant has also proposed the addition of two signs. These signs were on the original site plan stating, “Per Signage Ordinance”. Building permits were issued on 5/24/23, but it was discovered that while the wall sign is within the requirements of the sign ordinance, the ground sign is taller than the maximum allowance. Applicant agrees to remove the pedestal so the sign will conform to the ordinance. Motion by Murray, 2nd by Abercrombie to approve the site plan amendment for black metal roof, the 20-foot light post with reduction from 300 to 240-watt light bulbs, and approval of the wall sign as-is and approval of the ground sign with reduction to 6-foot maximum height as agreed to by the applicant. All Ayes, Motion Passed 10. PC Projects: a. Master Plan Discussion – Discussion of the master plan survey. Closed 5/31. A total of 157 responses including those turned in on paper, only approximately 4% of the township population. The mail blast was not sent due to an issue with the MailChimp program. The video was not created as suggested. Recommendation to extend the survey to the end of June. Reach out to the School Board and Macomb County to come to a meeting. Discussion on master plan items: Soften the statement on page 23 regarding village of Armada expansion / annexation, i.e., “a healthy village makes for a healthy township”. Discussion on tiny homes and barn-dominium to support our seniors and adult children. Discussion on renewable energy. The current ordinance is not friendly toward solar farms and windmills. Look at microgrids which would be intended to keep solar generated locally within the community to reduce outages. Comment that solar farms are not good for farming, windmills may provide additional source of income for farmers. i. Notices of intent mailed as required - Notice of intent to plan is a requirement of Michigan law before a Master plan is created or updated. Letters must be sent to surrounding communities, the county, and utilities. These were mailed on 5/16/23. ii. 1998 32 Mile Rd corridor study – brief discussion of the historic document found in the archives. 11. Public Comments – Non-Agenda Items 12. Adjournment. a. Motion by Murray, 2nd by Abercrombie to Adjourn the meeting at 8:40 p.m. All Ayes, Motion Passed Next Scheduled Regular Meeting: Wednesday July 5, 2023 Respectfully submitted: Cris Martin Recording Secretary Approved: DJ Kehrig, Chairperson_ Date ____