Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

Thank you. Thank you.

City of Grand Rapids Planning Commission meeting for June 11th, 2026. We're going to jump into the agenda here, but I will just go through kind of our typical procedures just so everyone's on the same page. For each case, we'll have a staff member come up and lead us through their staff report. We'll then have an opportunity for the applicant to add any additional information or context that they would like. At that point, we'll open up the public comment period. If you're here and want to give us your thoughts on a case, we ask you to come up to the microphone and address your comments to commission. And you have up to three minutes to give your comments then we'll close public the public hearing and The applicant can address any questions that come up and then Planning Commission will deliberate and make a decision I want to let you all know that this meeting is being streamed live on Facebook and YouTube and And just to let y'all know, staff gives us some draft language that we can follow as we'd like for making our resolutions. So there's findings both kind of for and against any kind of decision that we would want to make. So if you see someone reading a motion, we might be reading, but we also have the capacity to modify whatever that language is. So no decisions have been made ahead of time. And with that, let's go to the agenda before conflict of interest. First, we have a request for an extension at Ball. Go ahead.

The first item for review is a request for a six month extension of a special land use that was granted in July of 2025. As a reminder, this property is on 2286 Ball on the east side of Ball. It was approved for a 72 dwelling unit, multiple family development. At this property here the applicant has submitted a letter of the six-month request they have experienced some legal difficulties and hurdles in obtaining Completing the title work for ownership of the property and so they are asking for an additional six months to commence their project All right, thank you any questions for Laura I

Seems pretty straightforward and consistent with reasons. We've given granted extensions in the past so I Love to hear a motion. I will make a motion to grant the six-month extension second, okay motion support Any further discussion all those in favor say aye aye any opposed motion carries Okay now conflict of interest any conflicts of interest here. I

I have a conflict with the 925 Cherry project as I'm the architect of record on that project.

That also seems pretty straightforward. Would someone like to make a motion to affirm that?

I will make a motion that Commissioner Swem has a conflict of interest for 629 Michigan Street. I'm sorry, 925 Cherry. There you go. Support.

All right, motion and support. Any further discussion? All those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries. Okay. And then we can jump into our first public hearing for 629 Michigan Street Northeast. And Avery will walk us through this.

Alright, the next item on the agenda is a request to sell beer and wine for off-site consumption in association with a new convenience store at 629 Michigan Street Northeast. This request requires special lane use approval for the sale of alcohol for off-site consumption. The proposed convenience store will occupy one of four tenants within this existing building. The suite was previously used as office space and is located between Jimmy John's, which is to the west here, and Meeting House Tattoo to the east. And then there is a fourth tenant, Hairtology Salon, that is only accessed from the rear of the building, shown here, due to grade change that's present on the site. The subject property is zoned TNTBA with similar zoning to the east with a mixed-use commercial development and similarly to the south and west with medium-density residential properties. And to the north, we have TNMDR with a surface parking lot. The 2024 community master plan designates this subject property as community activity center, which is intended to support private places to live. Sorry to provide places to live, work and shop around key intersections and along corridors to evolve areas into walkable places within 15 minute walk, bike or transit trip of surrounding neighborhoods. The property is also located in the Michigan Street Corridor Plan, which identifies the site as mixed-use neighborhood service, which is intended to create transit-oriented development that supplies goods and services to the adjacent neighborhoods and creates a compact pedestrian-oriented business district. The 12,000 square foot property is located at the northwest corner of Benson Avenue and Michigan Street and is bounded by a public alley to the north. The site contains just under a 6,000 square foot commercial building that's situated at the southeast corner of the site. As you can see, there are three parking spaces at the rear of the building and a drive-through lane to the west. The property at 417 Benson Avenue Northeast, just north of the property, is under common ownership and contains 21 parking spaces that are available to customers and employees of the business. And since this proposed convenience store has the same parking requirement as the previous office space tenant, there is no additional parking required for the use. relative to the existing building. Again, going back to those grade changes, those three tenant spaces on the main floor also have access off of the rear with this elevated deck and stairs. If you enter in this west door shown here on the plan, you walk into a shared vestibule that has two public restrooms. Here is the Jimmy John's entrance, and then there's also a separate entrance into the MBM Market. As part of this request, there are no site changes or building changes proposed. Relative to the use, the proposed hours of operation are Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. until 11 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Going back to the floor plan here. What is submitted shows that beer and wine will be displayed in five of the 10 cooler doors, specifically coolers six through 10 here. And there's no displays on the floor of alcohol proposed with this request. The applicant has also submitted a operations management plan that outlines measures to reduce potential impacts associated with alcohol sales. Some of these measures include prohibiting sales to minors and or visibly intoxicated individuals, as well as installing nine security cameras throughout the store, as well as the shared vestibule. So you can see them here on the plan with all of the X's, and then the area in which they are filming within the store. And the planning commission should consider whether this operations management plan provides sufficient detail to ensure that patrons are safe, both within and outside of the store. The applicant is also intended that the business will comply with the city's crime prevention through environmental design, or what we call CEPTED ordinance. And this ordinance applies to establishments that sell beer, wine, or tobacco products. And it's intended to reduce crime through visibility, lighting, and property maintenance. In respects to visibility, the applicant is proposing the cash register near the main entrance, shown here on the site plan, as well as shown here. Here's the entry door. And as you can see, the entire front entrance of the suite is transparent glass, and both of these requirements meet CPTED and zoning ordinance requirements, provided that the windows are free of any signage. Relative to lighting, the existing site already has lighting that meets CEPTED standards for illumination of both exterior doors and parking areas that's required to be illuminated from dusk until dawn. And the city CEPTED specialists in both the police and planning department have reviewed this plan and have determined that it complies with the CEPTED requirements. Relative to alcohol uses in the vicinity, there's a Circle K gas station located within 1,000 square feet, or excuse me, 1,000 feet of the subject property that also sells beer and wine for offsite consumption. Relative to neighborhood input, the applicant has indicated that they spoke to nearby property owners about the proposal and allow them to talk a little bit more in depth about their engagement efforts. We have received a total of three letters for this proposal with one letter of support from a nearby resident and two letters that express concerns about the proposed hours of operation and existing issues on the site relative to lawyering, trespassing, and potential inadequate lighting on the site. With that being said, staff recommends several key considerations of this request that include you to discuss any neighborhood concerns that may be raised during the public hearing, the appropriateness of the proposed use and hours of operation, the potential impacts associated with the sale of alcohol for offsite consumption, whether the use would be detrimental or disturbing to adjacent uses or the neighborhood, and whether the operations management plan adequately details procedures to minimize or eliminate negative secondary effects on the neighborhood. Does the Planning Commission have any questions for me at this time? Thanks, Avery. Any questions for Avery?

All right. We'll have the applicant come up and fill us in on your engagement efforts and any other information you'd like us to know.

My name is Kisnet Tedese. I'm the owner of MBM Market, and I'm here along with Johannes, which is my cousin, who helped me to navigate the whole process. We're currently operating as a convenience store. Mainly we sell groceries, also for East African products, mainly Ethiopian or Eritrean. and then as well as serving the neighborhood in general. And I do have, I've been working at a liquor store for the past probably almost nine years, so I do have a good experience, and then I know how to manage, you know, sailing to minors or intoxicated, so I have it better, so that's it.

So like you said, my name's Johannes. I'm his cousin, trying to help him kind of navigate through all of this. The community engagement that we've done is reaching out to the Midtown Association via email. We haven't heard anything back from them yet, but we have met with Michigan Corridor business folks. I believe it was Mr. Samuel came out, wished us well, and let us know if there's future meetings that he'll invite us over and kind of just help build from there. And if there's any... questions, comments, concerns, or anything from the city. Like he can help us navigate those things as well. But yeah, so like you said, he, he has been working at top shelf spirits, uh, for about nine years now. Um, been managing it, I will say, um, and hasn't had any issues, uh, no robberies, no loitering or anything like that. He kind of just gained experience over time of like how to navigate those issues. We submitted our camera operations to GRPD through the planning commission. And we're more than happy to take any recommendations that comes from you guys or that comes from GRPD for safety and security, obviously. The lighting that was out back gives enough light for the cameras to be able to be seen as well as the front. But, yeah, we're willing to listen to anything and just kind of got high hopes to go from there.

Awesome. Thank you. Any questions for the applicant? I have one.

How late are you currently open?

So from Monday to Thursday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. And Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. So we're not opening late.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

Can I just add to that real quick, too? So our objective was kind of to stay open one hour past the Jimmy John's. I'm not sure about the tattoo shop's hours of operation. So they close at 9 o'clock, I believe, every Monday through Monday. So the objective was, like, close an hour after them so then there isn't any, like, loitering, any issues happening and that we can just walk out and make sure the property is all clear and to go. But if the hours of operation become, like, fluctuated due to, you know, something that planning commission brings up, like definitely something we'll look at and yeah, consider for sure. Thank you.

Any additional questions?

Yeah. Did you do any, um, outreach to your direct neighbors in the building?

Yep. Yeah. Okay. Uh, so we actually spoke to all the property management companies that are in the area. There's, uh, two or three apartment complexes right behind. Um, They allowed us to like post on their community board, leave some flyers behind. Beyond that, we are operational as a convenience store currently. So a lot of people have came in, shown like great support as well. We handed out flyers all around to the neighborhoods, kind of just knocked on doors, introduced ourselves and let them know like, hey, this is our plan. It's our hope to like, you know, have beer and wine sales as well. And let them know if they have any questions, comments, concerns, they can always reach us. And, you know, we'd be more than happy to try to mitigate any of those issues.

I just, so one of the letters noted that the lights in the back are not working, but I noticed that in the staff report, whoever went and analyzed it for SEPTED signed off on it. So does that, are the lights working now?

Yeah, the lights are definitely working. I think maybe their concern was from a far side of the corner that it was maybe too dark or something. But this photo right here on the bottom left-hand, that shows from the furthest point of the parking lot. And then that's where you can see the business coming from that area. Okay. And that was taken about a month or so ago. Yeah, about a month. Yeah, when I submitted it up to the city. Great. Thank you. Yeah, of course.

And they will be subject to the crime prevention ordinance, which is ongoing. And so if there are issues with site lighting, that is something that the CEPTED specialist would be working with the business owner to make sure that those lights do continue to work and operate in a safe manner. And so they can be adjusted over time if needed and through an enforcement process. I did want to confirm, so you've got the double entry off the parking lot and off Michigan Street. Can you confirm that both of those doors will be open at all times during business operations?

Yep, so Jimmy John's closes at 9. Originally, they were locking the back door on their way out, but we've discussed with them since we are open an hour after you guys, we can take care of locking the back doors. Sundays are the only time that they will be locking the back doors because they are open until 9. We close at 7 on Sundays. So that back door will be open or unlocked for customers to just walk in that way. as well as our front door.

Okay. Obviously, yeah.

I think I'm more concerned about the front door. So that's the one I want to make sure remains open and unlocked during business hours. Yeah. Given that the parking lot is off the back. And I know there has been reported challenges with retail generally having kind of a double loaded entry due to security. But I know you've worked with GRPD and are Accepted officer. I just wanted it for the record that that was your plan to keep it open.

Yeah Yeah, we want to make it as convenient for customers as much as possible Obviously even like when it comes to the lighting right so somebody's uncomfortable. It's like alright Well, we get in touch with our property manager try to see what we can do to like add more lights or brighter lights even you know so It's a convenience store. So it's all about convenience for the customer, right? So that's kind of the plan.

Yeah Awesome any other questions? Okay, y'all can have a seat. Yes, thank you. I will open up the public hearing. If you would like to give us your thoughts on this case, please come up to the microphone. Seeing none, I will close the public hearing. Any burning questions before we get into deliberation that you thought of in that five seconds? Okay, commissioners.

So I think I mean to me this is pretty straightforward, I think there's There's not a huge concentration of beer and wine sales in this area Based on I think the closest one is a thousand within a thousand feet, but it's a gas station I appreciate the concerns in the letters about the hours of operation and some of their concerns about loitering and other things But I think And I guess their hours are already, I think, what's proposed. And so I don't know. I have a hard time believing that having beer and wine is going to have a substantial or substantially change the existing conditions. So I'm in support of this. And yeah, I have no other comments.

I would agree with what Commissioner Swem said. I also appreciate that they're willing to talk to the property manager about additional lighting. The only space that looks like it might be dark, and I think it got mentioned in the one letter, was under the deck. And I don't know if the property manager can do something about that. But I appreciate your willingness to do it. I also appreciate the sub-ted plan and... also that you'll be bringing in East African imports as well. I don't think that, I think it's unique to the neighborhood and I think that will be a good addition, so thank you.

I agree. Would anyone like to make a motion?

I can make one. Great. Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Planning Commission approves the special land use and site plan review request of MBM Market LLC, Kissenet F. Tedes, to sell beer and wine for off-site consumption in association with a new convenience store to be open until 11 p.m. at 629 Michigan Street Northeast for the following reasons. proposed use will be consistent with the purpose and intent of the master plan and zoning ordinance because the zone including the zone district because the use supports objective 2a of the 2024 community master plan for a range of businesses in center compact centers to enhance local equitable act with access to service the use will contribute to an economically vibrant and attractive business and commercial area 2. The proposed use will meet the Site Plan Review Standards of Section 5.12.08.E because the building provides adequate means of ingress and egress by both public streets and walkways. 3A, the proposed use will be compatible, harmonious, and appropriate with the character and uses of the neighborhood adjacent properties in the natural environment because the proposed use will support the desired mixed-use character of the neighborhood. The convenience store is intended to be an amenity to the neighborhood. 3B, the proposed use will not have adverse effects on the neighborhood because adequate parking is provided and the building entrance is oriented to allow for maximum visibility on the site. 3c the proposed use will not be detrimental hazardous or disturbing to existing or future uses or to the public welfare by reason of excessive traffic noise smoke odors glare or visual clutter because the applicant is proposing limited hours of operation and the convenience store will provide products and services to the surrounding neighborhood and additional traffic is not anticipated The proposed use will not adversely affect the walkability of the neighborhood, impair pedestrian circulation patterns, disrupt the continuity of the urban street wall, or otherwise hinder the creation of a pedestrian-oriented environment because adequate transparency in the storefront is provided and will be maintained, and the building and site layouts are not proposed to change. 5a. Adequate public or private infrastructure and services do already exist and will safeguard the health, safety, and general welfare of the public because the addition of alcohol use is not anticipated to impact infrastructure or services. And the proposed use will not be detrimental to the financial stability or economic welfare of the city because the use is not anticipated to result in nuisances that require additional code enforcement actions due to limited store hours and scale. Given the character, location, development trends, and other aspects of the neighborhood, it is demonstrated that the proposed location for alcohol sales will demonstrably be an asset to the neighborhood because the sale of beer and wine is expected to be an amenity for customers and neighboring residents who are anticipated to frequent the store, and there is not a high concentration of beer and wine vendors in the area. The use or change in use as constructed and operated by the applicant is compatible with the neighborhood because the addition of alcohol sales will not materially change the operation of a convenience store and the area dedicated for beer and wine will be limited to four coolers. Limited hours will help mitigate potential instances of negative effects related to the use. The use as proposed will be operated by the applicant The use as proposed to be operated by the applicant will not have any or minimal negative secondary effects on a neighborhood because an adequate operations plan and training will be in place, and the operation is expected to be in compliance with the Crime Prevention Through Environmental Decide ordinance. Be it further resolved that the following conditions of approval shall apply to this project. The standard set of set A approvals, one that the application and plan submitted by the applicant and signed and dated and stamped by the planning director shall constitute the approved plans except if plan elements do not meet ordinance requirements and or as amended in this resolution. 2. That the use shall operate according to the application and per testimony. 3. That this approval does not include any proposed signs and any future signs shall be subject to the requirements of Article 15 of the ordinance and permits received prior to installation. 4. That a land use development services, LUDS permit, building permit, and all other required permits be obtained from the City of Grand Rapids prior to the construction, demolition, or operation. 5. That any expansion of the approved special land use requires an additional special land use review and approval by the Planning Commission. Six, that the proposed use will comply with all other applicable city ordinances and policies and state laws. Seven, that this approval shall take effect 16 calendar days after the date of the Planning Commission's decision. Number two, that this use shall operate no later than 11 p.m. daily. And number three, that the area of alcohol sales shall limited to four cooler doors number four the requirements of section five point two point fourteen shall be met relative to transparency and clear glass and no reflective mirror glass or spandrel glass shall be used the hours operation That the you shall comply with the requirements of the crime prevention through environmental design percept ed ordinance six out of functioning video surveillance system capable of recording and retrieving a digital image to assist an offender Identification apprehension is required cameras Association associated with the system shall be positioned as indicated on the submitted plan any other changes I

Yeah, so condition or yeah, in A3 of the findings, we should change that to five cooler doors and then condition three should be five as well.

Okay, I will accept those changes.

Do we have a support? Support. Okay, we have motion support. Any additional discussion?

Oh, yeah. Sorry. I did wonder about the hours. So the hours and the conditions are no later than 11, but the hours requested are Monday through Thursday till 10, Sunday through 7 till 7. Yeah. I don't know which holds if we approve the application, but then that condition is in there, which... Yeah.

I'm looking at my team here, but I believe we'd want to reconcile that to mirror the application. Would that be correct?

Yeah.

So then I would suggest we change number two in the conditions to reflect the application of Monday through Thursday till 10, Friday and Saturday till 11, and Sunday until 7 p.m.?

Agreed.

Still support?

Yep.

Okay.

All right. Any additional discussion? Thanks for that. Okay. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carries. Thank you very much. All right. So our... Oh, yeah. Yeah. We'll excuse Commissioner Swem from the dais. Okay, our next is 925 Cherry Street Southeast and Laura will start us off.

The next case for consideration is a request to establish a new banquet hall with live entertainment, outdoor seating, and alcohol service. The subject property is a through lot with frontage on Cherry Street and Lake Drive in the East Hills neighborhood, and it is also located in the Fairmount Square Historic District. Adjacent uses include Congress Elementary School to the north and mixed use commercial and residential on all other sides of the property. The site has multiple uses on the site, including Brewery Vivant, you can see in this image here. I do want to back up and say that the property is in the 2024 Community Master Plan, identifies this area as a neighborhood center, which is intended to reinforce a pedestrian and transit friendly environment with a mix of small scale uses. So Brewery Vivant currently operates a microbrewery and restaurant with outdoor seating. The site includes some retail, residential, and restaurant uses in addition to Brewery Vivant. And this is a site plan that was approved when the brewery was established. You can see in this plan that there is a 52 space parking lot that provides shared parking for all the uses on the property. The brewery production on the site was housed in the original garage on the property. That production has moved off-site, so that space is no longer utilized. The former brewing production area will be converted to result in 2,200 square feet of space to be used as an event venue with a maximum occupancy of 200 people. This area is already internally connected to the restaurant. The door on Lake Drive on the north side of the building will be utilized as the primary entrance into this space. To the south of this space is an outdoor beer garden that was used as seating. It was approved as outdoor seating with a restaurant. And that will become accessory use to the events happening in this event space. I do also want to say the event space will provide opportunity for accessory uses for the restaurant to use this space, trivia nights and things like that. and it will also be available for private rentals. On the north elevation, this is what the building looks like today, or several months ago when there was snow on the ground. There will be new storefront windows and a door with glass installed. And this is a rendering of what that north elevation will look like that's facing Lake Drive. Because the property is in a historic district, it does require review from the Historic Preservation Commission. There is an application currently under review for this renovation. On the south side of the garage building, there are already windows. Two of the windows that emulate garage doors will actually become overhead doors. And there will be a new entrance door installed to provide open access between the event venue and the beer garden. The restaurant was approved to be open until 1 a.m. And the event venue is proposed to operate from 6 a.m. until midnight with the facility to be vacated no later than 1 a.m. There's a request to include live music and amplified sound. The applicant can confirm whether live music will only be associated with the private events or with some of the restaurant events as well. Restaurant staff will be present during all event times as well. In your packet, there is an operation management plan and a copy of the rental agreement that will be used for this event space. The beer garden with the restaurant was originally approved to be open until 11 p.m. In this image, the beer garden is, the garage is this domed building with all the solar panels on top. That will be the event space. And this flat roof area between Maru Restaurant and the garage building, that is the beer garden that will be used for events. So it was approved to be open until 11 p.m. with no outdoor amplified sound or acoustic music later than 9 p.m. So because the beer garden will be accessory to events, it is proposed to be open for outdoor activities until events end, so until midnight. And there is no outdoor live entertainment proposed. However, the overhead doors might be open during times of the indoor live entertainment. So the Planning Commission should consider the noise impact to neighboring residents. In this image here on the left side, you'll see the domed garage building, the outdoor beer garden, 949 Cherry Street. Those are apartments.

immediately to the east.

So the applicant is requesting that the overhead doors be open until 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. And then in regards to parking, because previous approvals included parking waivers for some of the parking spaces, all of the parking required for this new use minus the number of spaces that were required for the production facility, we're asking the Planning Commission to consider a parking waiver that amounts to 48 parking spaces. The area is, is served by transit and there is parking on both Lake Drive and Cherry Street. The applicant has also gone to the lengths of providing a parking management plan. This is not something we require or generally ask for, but they have put together a plan of how they will handle parking for different events and communicate that information to the event goers. So in sum, we are asking the Planning Commission to consider, oh, I will also mention that there are letters of approval in your packets. The East Hills Business Association has submitted a letter of support along with the Grand Rapids Chamber and a neighboring business owner. And we're asking the Planning Commission to consider the new use of this event center banquet hall with alcohol service and a waiver of parking. Also the outdoor activities and the indoor live entertainment. And whether the use is consistent with the master plan and the traditional neighborhood transitional traditional business area zone district and the activities and the uses relative to nearby businesses Residential uses and the parking waiver whether the availability of transit and on street parking are sufficient to meet the need Are there any questions?

Thank You Laura any questions for Laura? I don't have any either all right.

We'll have the applicant come up All right, hello everyone, I'm Jason Spaulding. I'm the owner of brewery Vivant along with my wife We are walking into this project kind of thinking about it over the last couple years, but as our business has changed that space being a production manufacturing space, which once was, we're really, really proud of, and it was an amazing tour. But as time has gone on, we're kind of seeing that maybe a better use for more of a community gathering space would make more sense for that. And we still will be producing on site, but in a different section of the building. But most of our production we have outsourced through a different process with the Liquor Control Commission and all of our distributed products are still our own but we're able to make those using other breweries. So it's great. And that kind of allows us to look at this project and really we've always considered ourselves kind of a community gathering place as a restaurant. That's one of the things we're most proud of. And I think this is a nice kind of continuation of that by being able to welcome. We've always loved people celebrate whether it might be a baby shower or a birthday or things like that in the restaurant. This will allow us to kind of expand that outreach again in this event space. We're looking at doing some internal events. You mentioned trivia. Sometimes we just have events that we have to cap or shrink just because of given space. I really dislike when my favorite restaurant is closed because they have a private event on a Friday or Saturday. This will allow us to not do that. We can keep the restaurant open but also still accommodate a special occasion for a guest in that other room. So it kind of gives us an expanded opportunity to do that. We've been there for about 15 years. We've gotten to know our neighbors very, very well. We've done quite a few tours with neighborhood businesses, the business association, Uptown, Richard App with the chamber. So we've kind of gathered people's feedback, but it all seems to be pretty positive, but we're always open. We want to be a good neighbor. We're always open to people's thoughts and concerns, but I feel like we've let the neighborhood know, and they're pretty excited. One of the things they're really excited about is to be able to open up those doors. Lake Drive storefronts. I recall when we first moved in there, that was discussed, but we mostly used that for storage, so there was... not a great appeal to show through the windows our boxes and kegs and things like that. But this will allow us to do that, and I think the neighbors will really appreciate that. So with that, that's kind of all I wanted to say. I'm happy to come back up with questions if anyone has any, and we'll go from there. But thank you.

Awesome. Thank you. I do just have one. So in our staff report, it talks about having live music and amplified sound requested for the event venue. So is that for just private events or would that be for events that y'all host too?

We're trying to keep our options open. I'm not quite sure. We haven't really done live music in the past, but I imagine if we did a wedding that possibly would come up. And if you stood either in the beer garden as existing or happen to be on a brewery tour, you look out those windows, opening up those two sections together could be nice in the right time of year. So we just wanted to put that out there as a possibility. We're trying to see if we can encompass everything that we might think of later down the road, even though we don't have a solid plan right now for that. But I could see that happening. We just want to make sure that we've thought through all that.

Great, thank you. Any other questions? Go for it, yeah.

So you mentioned in the parking plan that you might use the school parking lot for various events if it's going to be a lot of excess parking. Do you have conversations open with them, or is that just an idea?

We've had a really good relationship with Congress School. My children went through the school. I don't have as close a relationship with the current principal, but in the past, if we have things that are on the weekend that don't overlap with the school's activities, they've been really, really open to that. And on a few occasions that we've had parking lot issues, Events in the parking lot, we've tried to let our employees know where to park a little farther down and things like that. So we've tried to accommodate the best we can. And there is parking in that neighborhood if you know where to go, and especially if we can control the controllables, the staff, and have them park a little distance away that helps. And then we try to communicate also with the other neighboring businesses to try to do the same.

Okay, thanks. One more question. Have you gotten any negative feedback from the apartment dwellers to your east about any potential noise that might be coming out the garage doors at an event?

No, we've never had any issues. I do know the owner of that area and we've cooperated with them. I think when they redid their parking lot, their parking lot was out for a few months. We let them park in our lot. I think You know, one of the attractions for living in that apartment is the proximity to us and other shops right there. So I kind of feel like when people choose to live there, that that's part of the fun. So we haven't had, to answer your question, we haven't had any negative feedback since we've been there for 15 years. Great. Thank you. Yeah.

Jason, can you clarify the beer garden area? So if you're hosting a wedding, let's say, for instance, or any type of event, Any live music, for instance, would be indoors, is that correct?

That's correct, yeah.

But those doors may be open. What's your hope for when those doors would shut on a weeknight or a weekend?

Off the top of my head, I think we had those hours in that plan. Off the top of my head, I can't remember, but they're a couple hours before we would close. I think what we said is 10 o'clock during the week, 11 o'clock on the weekends.

9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 10 Friday.

The intention is just to have that be an option, but all the music would be inside the building and, you know, if the group, you know, if it's nice and there's tables outside, it might just be a nice opportunity to do that. But we're not trying to have a concert in that beer garden projecting outward.

Okay, and then the, I mean, when we say close the doors, someone who's at the venue may still be able to go outdoors, but we're closing the main doors so that the sound from inside is not translating out, is that correct?

Right, yeah, we have a man door proposed on that one far side to be able to accommodate that and then... yeah and then the yep on this elevation and then so it's still accessible but then um we can be respectful with those larger doors uh for sound okay thank you yep any other question yeah go ahead where within the event venue does the band or dj set up that is a great question i've got some thoughts on that but um You know, depending on the layout, we're trying to keep it really flexible, but I imagine it would probably be right directly in front of the bathrooms, which would be, I don't know, is this a little mouse work? Which would be, you know, perhaps in this area, and then the other opportunity would be right here in this corner here.

So either adjacent to the restrooms or in the southwest corner of the space?

Yeah, that's what I believe, yeah. So we're not building a stage or anything. We're just, you know, trying to keep those options open. Okay.

But the beer garden is open to the meaning that the air is open to the, uh, adjacent residential, correct?

Uh, yeah, there, there is a ceiling, uh, over this part here. Uh, so it's, you know, it's covered, but there is an open section right here. That's open air. Um, And then, yeah, currently there's a garage door that's open air right here. Okay. And it's actually shocking how few opportunities there are in Michigan to open air to a patio. It's either too hot, too cold, rainy, bugs. But when you hit it right, it's amazing. So we just want to make sure we have those options available.

Yeah, I think, obviously, I think my concern and the concern of the commission is when those doors are open or even closed, how the sound might affect nearby residential properties. And so I don't know if you can speak to any sound mitigation efforts that are already in place or the mitigation that would come from the doors themselves. And it looks like your architect might have some thoughts on that.

Yeah. I think the opening or shutting the garage doors would be the biggest thing. We pride ourselves on being good neighbors, and if we got negative feedback, I'd be happy to try to accommodate the best we could. Also, with the hours that we had put in our plan, nothing's too late where it would really keep people awake, but if people had concerns, we'd certainly listen to them.

Does that answer your question or do you want more technical analysis?

I wanted a little bit more technical. So I believe that you are a good neighbor and I've never had complaints brought to me about noise or impacts of your business. So this is not business specific. This is thinking if in the future a new operator, a different owner might have a different level of awareness or consideration of neighborhood impacts. And so that's why I'm asking sort of intentional questions to make sure that future Kristen doesn't have to worry about sound bleeding into the residential units.

So I think the The easiest things to talk about are the proposed locations for live entertainment, whether it's amplified sound or live entertainment. Both of the locations that we've discussed and that Jason pointed out are as central to the event space as we can get and as far away from the residential space. If we're talking about this corner, And outside of physical barriers, distance is the best thing you've got when it comes to sound. So that distance matters. The other thing that is helpful is that the garage doors are operable. When they're open, it will be noticeably louder outside than it is inside. It won't be as loud as it would be if the entertainment was physically outside. Without very ridiculous calculations. I can't tell you how much of a difference there is, but there sounds a very quirky thing. So just like that canopy, it's a polycarbonate canopy. So it's dual layer with an air layer in between. It will help with sound, but it's pretty thin. So people are still going to be able to hear what's going on. It's an open air canopy. So I think another thing to consider would be The restaurant is an adjacent venue, but they're also going to want to make sure that they're not having a live band that's so loud that it's disturbing the restaurant. So I think actually having two operating venues at the same time will help them self-police because they're not going to want people to be disturbing the restaurant.

Is this the type of glazing that's chosen for the doors?

It'll be insulated double pane glazing so it'll be similar to what's there now and what almost everybody in this room is used to.

Okay.

Which is, it's effective at sound mitigation to the extent that anytime you ever enter a building next to a noisy street and the amount that the sound goes down, or sitting in your home, depending on how recent your windows were replaced.

Okay. Thank you. Yep. Great. Any additional questions? Okay. I see none. I'll open the public hearing. If you are here and would like to comment, please approach the mic. Seeing none, I will close the public hearing and turn to my fellow commissioners here.

I generally like the plan, and I think it would be a good good reuse of that space if it's not being used for brewing anymore I don't have concerns with the parking waiver especially given the proximity of buses on street parking it's a very walkable neighborhood I think a lot of people walk to this venue I've watched this venue before I also appreciate that they have bike facilities right outside including bike repair so I don't have a problem with the parking

and i think the hours of operation um will help mitigate the the noise concerns for the neighbors yeah i like it i think um yeah i think it'd be great to have uh you know a smaller event venue on this side of town in this in this neighborhood i think it'll be well received um And I think they've demonstrated that they've been a good neighbor. So I have confidence that that will continue. I think it's been well thought through in relation to how it relates to their neighbors.

Yeah, I agree. And the door hours, which are enforceable, also help with that in case for some reason there was... a non-good neighbor operating this the venue so no I completely agree I think it's a really positive reuse of that space and as to the vibrancy of the neighborhood I'm excited for kind of the opening up of the Lake Drive storefront I think that'll kind of help that side it's a tricky spot being in that kind of triangle between Lake and Cherry so I think that'll help with that storefront opening up too

Would anyone like to make a motion?

I'm happy to make it. Can we discuss item 7, though, that outdoor activity associated with events shall cease by 11 or midnight? So I see that events are going to cease by midnight with the facility to be vacated no later than 1. We're going to close those overhead doors by 9 on Sunday through Thursday or 10 Friday and Saturday. So then outdoor activity. I mean...

maybe it follows the same like 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and midnight Friday, Saturday. I don't know, I don't have a strong opinion I guess.

Do other people have? Do you have a strong opinion?

So just in reference of a ban that would be inside, the outdoor activity?

I don't truly know what outdoor activity is referencing. I think just the way people are being allowed to be outside?

Yeah, it's just the use of that space.

Okay, so if we close the doors, but they want to stay out in the beer garden because it's adjacent to the venue. Okay.

Yeah, I think we were talking about the hours to close the garage doors versus being able to be in the space. That must be that reference.

Okay.

Laura, can you further articulate that? The beer garden was previously approved by the planning commission to be open until 11 p.m. So asking it to be open to align with the hours of operation of the events until midnight would extend those hours of operation. Thank you. Yeah.

Okay. I'll make a motion. We'll see how it goes. All right. Now, therefore, it be resolved that the Planning Commission approves the Special Land Use and Site Plan Review Request of Brewery Vivant, Jason Spaulding, to convert area previously used for brewing production into a 2,200-square-foot private event venue with live entertainment and alcohol service at 925 Cherry Street Southeast for the following reasons. One, the proposed use will be consistent with the purpose and intent of the master plan and zoning ordinance, including the zone district, because the proposed use will support the vitality of the business district by activating an underutilized building, will support compact centers that provide a mix of uses as recommended in the 2024 community master plan, vital business districts 2A, and preserve the historic character of the building and neighborhood while accommodating growth. The proposed use will meet the site plan review standards of Section 5.12.8.e because site improvements already exist and generally conform with TN classification requirements, and the new windows and entry door on the north facade will bring the building closer to conformance for transparency requirements and strengthen the connection to the street. 3a. The proposed uses will be compatible, harmonious, and appropriate with the character and uses of the neighborhood because the use will be consistent with the desired mixed-use character of this area and the proposed use will add a unique business to the district and complement existing uses. 3b. Potentially adverse effects arising from the proposed use will be minimized because on-street and district parking is adequate to support the use The applicant's parking plan is intended to mitigate potential impacts, and outdoor activity associated with events will be adequately buffered from existing residential uses. 3c. The proposed uses will not be detrimental, hazardous, or disturbing to existing or future uses or to the public welfare by reason of excessive traffic, noise, and glare, because entertainment will be fully contained indoors, outdoor hours of operation will be limited, and the design of the covered beer garden will help mitigate sound and light disturbances to nearby residential uses. 3D, the proposed use will not adversely affect the walkability of the neighborhood, impair pedestrian circulation patterns, disrupt the continuity of the urban street wall, or otherwise hinder the creation of a pedestrian-oriented environment because the building is already located near the street and the activation of the building will contribute to the vitality of the district and Lake Drive. 5B, the proposed use will not be detrimental to the financial stability and economic welfare of the city because the uses are not anticipated to result in nuisances that require excessive code enforcement actions given the proposed scale, hours, and location. And the conditions of the special land use approval will limit nuisances that require police or code enforcement actions. E1, given the character, location, development trends, and other aspects of the neighborhood, it is demonstrated that the proposed use and that the proposed location for alcohol sales will demonstrably be an asset to the neighborhood, because as proposed, the uses will be unique as compared to existing uses in the neighborhood. E3, the use or change in use as constructed and operated by the applicant is compatible with the neighborhood. because restaurant staff will be on the premises during events, and the uses will encourage increased foot traffic between nearby businesses. E5, the use as proposed will be operated by the applicant, proposed to be operated by the applicant will minimize or eliminate negative secondary effects on the neighborhood because the applicant's operations plan is intended to mitigate potential noise, security, and alcohol impacts. Be it further resolved that the following conditions of approval shall apply to this project. Standard conditions set A, Item 2, that the condition of approval for PLN 10-025 and PC-SLU-2012-0009 shall remain in effect except as modified by this resolution. Three, that the events shall cease by midnight with the facility to be vacated no later than 1 a.m. Four, that the event space may accommodate up to 200 individuals subject to occupancy determination by the city's building official and applicable building and fire codes. Five, that music and dancing incidental to a private event may be permitted, but there shall be no events or ticket sales to the general public at which a mission is charged at the door. Six, that the operator or their designee shall be on the premises during all events. Seven, that outdoor activity associated with events shall cease by midnight. Eight, that overhead doors connecting to the beer garden shall be closed no later than 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Nine, that there shall be no live entertainment outdoors. And ten, that an indoor events license shall be obtained from the office of the city clerk.

Support.

All right, we have a motion and support. Any additional discussion? All those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries. Thank you very much. All right. Okay, good. All right, our last case is 614 First Street Northwest. We get to hear from Laura again.

So this case is a request to approve existing office space into 13 dwelling units. The subject property is an improved planned redevelopment district, or PRD. And this case is, it's considered a minor change to the PRD, but it is being referred to the Planning Commission for consideration because the building and the site that were approved were not designed for residential use. The site is located at the corner of First Street and Seward Avenue. It's surrounded by the property surrounding the PRD is TNTCC Transitional City Center on all sides with a small area of traditional business area to the west. The subject property is located within the west side area specific plan, identified as transitional mixed use village center, in which a mixture of light industrial and adaptive uses for office, live work and housing is recommended. Sufficient residential density is necessary to support the village center district. Surrounding uses include Rockford construction to the north, Adobe restaurant to the east and there's mixed use to the south and west and Bridge Street Market is at the south along Bridge Street. The PRD was approved in 2016. The properties bounded by Stocking, Seward, Bridge were rezoned from TBA and TCC to the PRD to facilitate this mixed-use development. Building C at the north side of the property was approved as a four-story office building with parking provided in the interior parking deck. This is the upper level of the PRD. And this is a view of the corner of Seward and First Street. A three-story office building was constructed. Currently, WMCAT occupies the third floor of this building. Wintrust Bank will occupy approximately 12,000 square feet of some of the ground floor and second floor of this building. And so then what's requested is approximately just under 16,000 square feet of the first floor and second floor of this building will be converted to 13 one-bedroom dwelling units. Residential use in a PRD is generally considered in the context of the requirements of the surrounding zone district. In this case, the existing building meets the site layout and building element requirements of mixed use commercial zone districts in the TN neighborhood classification. One of the elements that is required, and I have floor plans here if anybody is interested in seeing the floor plan of the units. This slide is the ground floor. You can see the main entry is at the right side of this slide. And then the second floor. So talking about the entrance requirements, residential primary entrances are required to be clearly identified facing the street and have a porch or stoop. The apartments that are proposed will have two entrances, the entrance seen here along First Street and another entrance from the adjacent parking garage. You can see that this entrance does meet all the requirements, although it is commercial in nature, the requirements are met. Another element for consideration is transparency. Street facing walls of this building are mostly transparent glass, which exceeds the minimum requirement of 30% that's required for residential use, for multiple family residential use in this zone district, in the TN neighborhood classification. Window film is proposed to be installed. You can see on this slide the areas circled in red are proposed to have window film installed to conceal a mechanical room and the refrigerators of three of the dwelling units. On the remaining windows, blinds will be installed to allow privacy for the residents. And then the last item for consideration is landscaping. There is an existing planting bed between the sidewalk and the building. It's not currently landscaped. The applicant is proposing to install some landscape elements to provide some separation between the private and the public realm. It is recommended that the landscaping material that is installed is tall enough to adequately screen the residential use. And we may need to explore whether irrigation is necessary. It also looks like maybe this landscape bed doesn't receive a whole lot of sun. So there might need to be some discussion of what plants might thrive in this planting bed to provide some adequate screening for the residential. Parking for the residential units will be provided in the parking deck, in which parking is adequate. And as you can see on this slide, there is bike parking available on the public sidewalk. The Planning Commission may wish to explore with the applicant if there's any opportunity to provide some interior bike storage for the residents. In sum, we are asking the Planning Commission to consider this amendment to the PRD for conversion of office space into residential dwelling units with consistency with a master plan and the approved PRD and also elements that address the relationship of this residential use to the street. Are there any questions? Any questions for Laura?

All right. Thanks, Laura. We'll have the applicant come up.

Good afternoon. Mike Mraz with Rockford Construction. As she mentioned, this would be a conversion from office to residential. When we constructed this building, we had vision of a pure mixed-use project. As I mentioned in the last meeting, when we got Wintrust approval, it sat vacant because of COVID and other factors. We really thought hard behind this design and were able to achieve a MSHDA grant from the My Neighborhoods program. So they're supplying 1.3 million dollars of grant funding for this that is already approved and they're excited to move forward. The entrance as she described here is, whoops, I'll stop. Okay. This was designed as a commercial office entry and so what we've done is on both floors we'll have key card access that is just for resident use only and then as also mentioned there'll be an access to the parking garage for convenience as well. These are kind of loft style design departments. So the kitchens, we've updated these plans just a bit. That's why you're not seeing the refrigerators. We've kind of moved some, expanded the kitchen living areas. But the bedrooms themselves will be pretty much a three-quarter wall, so it allows natural light into the bedrooms too. Due to the nature of the building construction, it was what we call a liner building. So it hides the parking structure from the street. It actually bodes well for the conversion into apartments. They're kind of deeper units. That's why we wanted to have the living space have as much natural light, but also allow natural light into the bedrooms. And then you can also see here, due to the depth, this is a really nice workspace area for a little home office. So we're trying to really attract people that work from home as well. That being said, we're really excited as a neighborhood. More activity along First Street is always desired. Our commercial tenant is thrilled. These will coincide construction. They'll be completed by the end of the year. As it relates to the landscaping, you are correct. The north facing and our irrigation failed late last year. I think it was in August actually, so we didn't plant new plantings in August. So we will work on a new landscaping plan. We're actually looking at our main entrance as well as the main entrance at First and Seward where Wintrust is going. Some of that has been tired and actually some of the street trees too have died. So we're looking at trying to revitalize all of First Street with this collective project.

Are there plans for any kind of outdoor space for residents, seating?

Yes, so this will be an extension of the Hendrick. And so the Hendrick apartments that are next door, we have a rooftop deck, fitness center, community room, they will all have access to that. We do have sufficient bike parking already in the deck that was installed alongside the Hendrick, so they can occupy that. And our parking counts are perfect for this use. They're actually lower because it's residential use than office. And ideally, as mentioned last time in last meeting, we'd love to see additional transient parking for this deck as the west side continues to grow along with the soccer stadium.

Any other questions?

Just to confirm, so these will be Hendrick rental units? Correct. Gotcha.

Yes. So there are 13 units. There are 12 one-bedrooms, one two-bedroom, with three of those being income-restricted due to the MSHDA grant at 60% AMI.

All right, well, thank you. Okay, I'll open up the public hearing. If you are here and would like to give us your thoughts on this case, please approach the mic. All right, seeing none, I will close the public hearing. Commissioners.

I am in support. This seems like a great activation of a space that has been quiet for a long time, and the extension of the Hendrick makes a lot of sense. Everything I see, I'm in support of.

I agree with that. I was about to say something similar, so.

Yeah, my only kind of concern was providing some outdoor space for those residents, but having access to all the Hendrick amenities alleviates that concern. Yeah, I'm in complete support as well. I had something else that I was going to say that I've lost now, so I'll just stop there. Anyone want to make a motion? I'll make a motion.

Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Planning Commission approves the request of Bridge and Stocking LLC for a minor change to an approved plan redevelopment district to convert existing office space into 13 new dwelling units at 614 First Street Northwest for the following reasons. 3A, 3B, the mix of uses, density of development, and design of the proposed PRD are consistent with the master plan. and the purpose and intent of the zoning ordinance because the amendment reinforces and supports the desired character for this area with the proposed use, site design, and building elements. The amendment supports Objective 1A of the 2024 Community Master Plan to create complete and stable neighborhoods that provide a mix of housing types in close proximity to activity centers. The project is identified a transitional activity center intended to provide a connection between downtown and the surrounding residential or commercial areas and transition the intensity of the downtown development pattern to adjacent areas 3d the proposed PRD amendment will ensure efficient development of the property and will result in a logical and orderly development pattern in the neighborhood because of The site plan is generally consistent with the existing improvements on the site and has been designed to meet all site layout standards. Two, the proposed use will meet the site plan review standards of Section 5.12.08 because the conversion of the 13 dwelling units will take place inside of the existing building and will not impede the normal and orderly development or improvement of surrounding property for permitted uses. 4a the project will be compatible harmonious and appropriate with the existing or planned character and uses of the neighborhood adjacent properties and the natural environment because the use will enhance the mix of uses and vitality of the development the proposed changes will result in an area or in a density appropriate for this area For B, potentially adverse effects arising from the proposed development on the neighborhood and adjacent properties will be minimized through the appropriate placement of entrances and the location of screening and landscaping, on-site vehicle parking within the existing parking ramp. For C, The proposed development will not be detrimental, hazardous or disturbing to existing or future adjacent uses or to the public welfare by reason of excessive traffic, noise or visual clutter because the residential use is not anticipated to result in any increase in intensity on the site. 6b the proposed development will not be detrimental to the financial stability and academic economic welfare of the city because the change of use will put vacant commercial space into productive residential use the increased residential density will encourage other investment in the area and the increased density will help meet the demand for housing be it further resolved that the following conditions of approval shall apply to this project Number one, standard condition set A, striking numbers five and seven. And number two, that this approval shall have immediate effect. Support.

So I did ask Kristen to potentially add, craft some language relating to just ensuring that the landscaping that's decided upon can provide the appropriate screening.

that the landscape bed between the building and the public sidewalk on First Street utilize shade-tolerant landscaping and irrigation be provided within the landscape bed.

Sounds good. I still support.

Okay, any additional discussion? All those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries. Well maybe we'll see you at the next meeting. All right, thanks. Okay, well I think our next item is any planning commission discussion? No? Okay, then I will open up the public comment period. If you would like to provide public comment, come up and see us. Everyone's leaving instead. Alright, I will close the public comment period. Did you have one thing? Yeah, I just had one thing, if that's okay.

I just wanted to acknowledge with this most recent planned redevelopment district, sometimes these changes can seem really simple and why are we doing this, why are we here, versus staff working on it. We do work really hard to be careful of the major versus minor amendment process, making sure that we're staying within our lane of authority, so something that I think is really important for us to think about as we move forward with our revised zoning ordinance because I think PRDs are really helpful in that they advance the intent of the project at that time, they provide a lot of flexibility, a lot of creativity comes through. But this is an example where on the back end, when we need to adjust to certain market conditions or a different vision from a different owner, that they're not as flexible and accommodating as what might seem logical. So I just wanted to acknowledge that, because sometimes it feels like you're reviewing something and thinking, why are we reviewing this? Why isn't staff taking care of this? And that's why. So I'm always mindful of that complexity when we think about should we do this as a planned redevelopment district or a PRD and I'm always like they're the blessing and the curse. Blessing up front because they provide that flexibility and that creativity and the curse on the back end because they're not as flexible and we end up going through a rather detailed planning process that might seem a little overboard considering the impact of the request. So I just wanted to share my thoughts on that because it felt like maybe the Planning Commission was looking at this thinking, this is kind of obvious, like what are we doing here? So I wanted you to know that we don't try to make mountains out of molehills when we do interpretations. And I don't think

I don't think any of us think that you do, so no. Well, thank you. We appreciate it. Okay, anything else? All right, we stand adjourned. Thanks, everybody.