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 MINTUES Wednesday, April 5, 2023 7:00 p.m. Please note that due to technical issues, the GoToMeeting link was unavailable. Regular Meeting 1. Call to Order a. Chair Kehrig called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. 2. Pledge of Allegiance a. Kehrig led the Pledge of Allegiance 3. Roll Call a. Present at Roll Call: Chair Kehrig, Vice Chair Jabara, Commissioners Abercrombie, Finn, and Board Liaison Murray. b. Absent: Commissioners Arnold and Kutchey c. Also present: Planner Laura Haw, Recording Secretary Cris Martin, Supervisor Paterek, Clerk Swiacki and Trustee Job 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 Jabara to approve the minutes of the March 1, 2023 meeting as presented. All Ayes, Motion Passed 6. Public Comments – Agenda Items - None 7. Public Hearing: None a. Kehrig read the Project Status Report b. Kehrig presented the Spalding DeDecker Water Main Proposal c. Kehrig presented the Planning Rules of Procedure packet. Motion by Abercrombie, 2nd by Murray to receive and file reports and correspondence. All Ayes, Motion Passed 8. Unfinished Business: a. Zoning Districts Table of Permitted Uses – Revised draft – Planner Haw made the updates discussed at the last meeting. Request to carry the color-coding of the different districts to the headings of the table. Motion by Finn, 2nd by Kehrig to recommend approval of the table to the township board with the color-coding updates to the headings. All Ayes, Motion Passed 9. New Business a. MASTER PLAN JOINT WORKSHOP with Armada Township Board of Trustees Planner Haw distributed the current version of the Future Land Use Map, a Planned Regional Growth Snapshot Map including surrounding communities, and select pages of the current Master Plan, including the Policies section pgs.18-22 and the Implementation and Complete  Streets Strategy sections pgs. 44-47. Discussion on the Regional map points out that most changes proposed by surrounding communities impact the southwest corner of the township where Bruce, Romeo and Washington townships are targeting Industrial development. The remaining surrounding communities continue to plan largely agricultural/low density along our borders. The township attorney should be consulted regarding updating the annexation language in the Village Expansion paragraph in the current master plan. Annexation into either the Village of Armada or the Village of Romeo has no current impact on the tax revenues of Armada Township. Properties annexed into a village remain Armada Township properties for tax purposes. The danger is if a village becomes a city, Armada will then lose the property. Discussion regarding the preliminary sewer district and that the Village of Armada has some capacity that could be extended into the township. Master Plan Future Land Use Map shows preliminary Sewer District extending well past capacity of the current Water Main. Planner went through the objectives with the group to determine if they are still valid and if so, what priority to assign. The site plan development process should be updated to encourage preservation of woodlands and wetlands. Ensure grading is addressed adequately in the zoning ordinance / building process. High priority on pursuing grants to fund recreation updates. Discussed establishing buffer zones next to creeks and wetlands in the commercial and industrial site plan development process to protect waterways. Proposed to add requirements for a Rural Character Overlay District along Romeo Plank, 32 Mile and North Avenue as outlined on pages 31-35 of current master plan. Need to streamline ordinances to allow for more diverse housing styles for low income and senior housing to add flexibility. Village coming to May meeting. Want to invite Romeo Schools, Armada Schools, Fire Department, PDR, and Parks Director to future meetings. Need to add standards in Zoning Ordinance for private roads. Add State Trail Map from Recreation plan into Master Plan. 10. PC Projects: a. Master Plan Discussion – Survey questions - Add an end date to encourage quick response. Move demographic and open-ended questions to end. Modify the question regarding types of business into a ranked list. Mention Ridge Road Park site in parks question. 11. Public Comments – Non-Agenda Items- None 12. Adjournment. - Motion by Abercrombie, 2nd by Murray to adjourn at 9:38 p.m. All Ayes, Motion Passed Next Scheduled Regular Meeting: Wednesday May 3, 2023 Respectfully submitted: Cris Martin Recording Secretary Approved: DJ Kehrig, Chairperson_ Date ____