Regular Meeting of the Planning Commission

MINUTES REGULAR MEETING OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION Monday, April 06, 2026 6:30 PM Village Hall – 21 East Church Street, Lake Orion, MI 48362 (248) 693-8391 ext. 102 1. Call to Order The Monday, April 6, 2026 Regular Meeting of the Lake Orion Planning Commission was called to order by Commissioner Larry Dunn at 6:30 p.m. 2. Pledge of Allegiance Commissioner Lamb moved, Commissioner Rutt seconded, to nominate Larry Dunn as the chairman for tonight’s meeting in the absence of the chairperson and vice chairperson. AYES: Rutt, Lorant, McClary, Dunn, Lamb, Craig, Barry NAYS: None ABSENT: Zsenyuk, Sabol MOTION: Carried 3. Roll Call and Determination of Quorum PRESENT Secretary Henry Lorant Commissioner Teresa Rutt Commissioner Larry Dunn Commissioner James Barry Commissioner Michael Lamb Commissioner Matthew Craig Commissioner/Administrative Official Darwin McClary ABSENT Chairperson James Zsenyuk  Vice Chairperson Edward Sabol STAFF PRESENT Planning and Zoning Coordinator Jake VanBoxel Recording Secretary Danielle Smith 4. Approval of Agenda Commissioner Lamb moved, Commissioner Lorant seconded, to approve the agenda for the April 6, 2026 Planning Commission Regular Meeting, as presented. AYES: Rutt, Lorant, McClary, Dunn, Lamb, Craig, Barry NAYS: None ABSENT: Zsenyuk, Sabol MOTION: Carried 5. Approval of Minutes A. Approval of March 2, 2026 Planning Commission Regular Meeting Minutes Commissioner McClary moved, Commissioner Lorant seconded, to approve the March 2, 2026 Planning Commission Regular Meeting Minutes, as presented. AYES: Rutt, Lorant, McClary, Dunn, Lamb, Craig, Barry NAYS: None ABSENT: Zsenyuk, Sabol MOTION: Carried 6. Public Comments on Non-Agenda Items Only None. 7. Public Hearing A. Public Hearing: Proposed Amendments to Zoning Ordinances Section 13-11 and 13-17 Commissioner Rutt moved, Commissioner Lamb seconded, to open the public hearing for the proposed Zoning Ordinance amendments to Section 13.11 Accessory Buildings and Structures and Section 13.17 Parking and Storage of Mobile Homes, Travel Trailers, Motor Homes, Watercraft, Vessels, Trucks, and Other Items at 6:35 p.m. AYES: Rutt, Lorant, McClary, Dunn, Lamb, Craig, Barry NAYS: None ABSENT: Zsenyuk, Sabol MOTION: Carried There being no public comment, Commissioner Rutt moved, Commissioner Lorant seconded, to close the public hearing for the proposed Zoning Ordinance amendments to Section 13.11 Accessory  Buildings and Structures and Section 13.17 Parking and Storage of Mobile Homes, Travel Trailers, Motor Homes, Watercraft, Vessels, Trucks, and Other Items at 6:36 p.m. AYES: Rutt, Lorant, McClary, Dunn, Lamb, Craig, Barry NAYS: None ABSENT: Zsenyuk, Sabol MOTION: Carried 8. Old Business A. Discussion of Master Plan Amendment – Strategic Action Plan In early 2024, McKenna was authorized to prepare an amendment to the Village Master Plan (2002- 2022), as amended, to incorporate a Strategic Action Plan, including updated Goals and Objectives and an Implementation Matrix. The project was proposed in three phases:  Phase I: Analyze and Synthesize  Phase II: Critical Feedback  Phase III: Adoption McKenna has provided a status update and a second draft of the Strategic Action Plan incorporating commissioner feedback and community input for review and discussion. Planner VanBoxel reviewed the Strategic Action Plan, discussed next steps and was available to answer any questions of the Commission. Commissioner McClary moved, Commissioner Lorant seconded, to schedule a public hearing for Monday, May 4, 2026 at 6:30 p.m. on the proposed amendments to the Village of Lake Orion Master Plan 2002-2022 and to request that the required public notice be published. Commissioner Lamb shared concerns regarding rental units and does not think it is desirable to village residents. He further shared that he does not want single-family communities to be disrupted. Commissioner Rutt shared that she is in favor of including rental units in the Strategic Action Plan and would like to have further discussions about what accessory dwelling units could be permitted. Additionally, Commissioner Rutt shared that she believes item 2 in the Strategic Action Plan is referencing middle housing, such as duplexes and home ownership, as opposed to adding more apartments. Commissioner Lamb stated that the village is fully developed and does not want to see ordinances or the Master Plan used for “nefarious purposes.” He further shared that he would like to see item 1 removed from the Strategic Action Plan.  Commissioner Lamb moved, Commissioner Lorant seconded, to remove item 1 and item 3 from the Master Plan. AYES: Lorant, McClary, Dunn, Lamb, Craig, Barry NAYS: Rutt ABSENT: Zsenyuk, Sabol MOTION: Carried Vote on original motion: AYES: Rutt, Lorant, McClary, Dunn, Lamb, Craig, Barry NAYS: None ABSENT: Zsenyuk, Sabol MOTION: Carried 9. New Business A. Proposed Zoning Ordinance Amendments to Section 13.11 and 13.17 Sections 13.11 and 13.17 of the zoning ordinance regulate the placement, size, use and storage of accessory buildings and certain vehicles or recreational equipment on residential and non- residential properties. Questions regarding interpretation, enforcement consistency and alignment with current property use trends and community expectations have been identified as follows:  Overlap or ambiguity between accessory structure regulations and storage provisions  Definitions and dimensional standards for accessory buildings  Allowable locations and duration of storage for recreational vehicles and similar items  Enforcement challenges due to unclear or outdated language These issues have prompted a review of the ordinance sections to determine whether amendments are warranted to improve clarity, usability and consistency with the Village’s planning goals. Commissioner McClary moved, Commissioner Rutt seconded, to recommend that the Village Council approve the proposed Zoning Ordinance amendments to Section 13.11 Accessory Buildings and Structures and Section 13.17 Parking and Storage of Mobile Homes, Travel Trailers, Motor Homes, Watercraft, Vessels, Trucks, and Other Items. Commissioner Lamb asked if the text amendments preclude someone from storing their trailer in their lakefront rear yard setback. Planner VanBoxel said there has to be a primary dwelling on the property in order to store certain items. Commissioner Rutt provided clarification regarding the number and type of items that can be stored on a property, per the proposed text amendments.  Commissioner Lamb asked for confirmation that the proposed text amendments are to help prevent vacant lots from becoming storage facilities. Commissioner McClary confirmed that was the case. AYES: Rutt, Lorant, McClary, Dunn, Barry, Lamb, Craig NAYS: None ABSENT: Zsenyuk, Sabol MOTION: Carried B. Planning Commission 2025 Annual Report and 2026 Work Plan Commissioner McClary moved, Commissioner Barry seconded, to approve the Planning Commission 2025 Annual Report and 2026 Work Plan with the one change on page 1: the reference to 2024 should be 2025, and to submit the same to the Village Council. AYES: Rutt, Lorant, McClary, Dunn, Barry, Lamb, Craig NAYS: None ABSENT: Zsenyuk, Sabol MOTION: Carried 10. Commissioners' Comments Regarding Planning and Zoning Matters Commissioner Craig stated that he did not see the monthly planning and zoning report in this month’s packet. Planner VanBoxel stated that he would have Planner Nafal put together a report and send it to the Commission. Commissioner McClary shared that village administration will be submitting a draft of the Capital Improvement Plan 2026-2032 to the Planning Commission, which will be included in the May 4, 2026 packet. Commissioner Lamb stated that new homes are being constructed rapidly throughout the Village and reiterated that he supports the development of single-family housing in the Village. Additionally, Commissioner Lamb shared that he thinks the Village should focus on increasing its tax base. Commissioner Lorant asked how many single-family homes are currently being constructed. Commissioner Lamb stated he believes there are six homes currently being constructed in the Village. 11. Next Regular Meeting – May 4, 2026 12. Adjournment Commissioner Lamb moved, Commissioner Lorant seconded, to adjourn the meeting at 7:00 p.m. AYES: Rutt, Lorant, McClary, Dunn, Barry, Lamb, Craig NAYS: None ABSENT: Zsenyuk, Sabol MOTION: Carried ________________________ Henry Lorant Secretary _________________________ Sonja Stout Clerk/Treasurer _________________________ Danielle Smith Recording Secretary Date Approved: May 4, 2026