Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

All right. Hello, everyone. Welcome to the July 23rd, 2026 special meeting of the Planning Commission, City of Muskegon. May I have a roll call, please?

Commissioners Willette-Laroy?

Here.

Johnson? De La Garza? Present. Seifert?

Here.

Garan?

Here.

Keener? Ms. Abe, Blake, and Simmons.

Here. Note arrival of Johnson, but otherwise we do have a quorum. So we will move ahead. As this is a special meeting, we do not need to do approval of minutes. And we will move into the public hearing that has been requested for case 2026-14, request for a special use permit to operate a school. Divine Minds Early Learning Academy and co-work office space at 451 South Getty Street, which has been requested by Divine Minds Early Learning Center. So as this is a public hearing, what we will do is get a staff report, and we will allow for initial questions from the commission and the applicant to come forward, and then we will take any comments from the public before we move to the decision-making component. Staff report, please.

Yes, the properties zoned are neighborhood residential. Schools and daycares are allowed as a special use permitted in this district. Offices are also allowed with a special use permit if it's located in a previously existing or established commercial building not already converted to residential. Not exactly a commercial building, but in the past we have used non-residential buildings as well because it's not going to be used for residential. The proposed use includes a preschool with up to 32 students and a daycare for children up to 12. It will serve first and second shifts, so they will be open until, I believe, 11.30 p.m. and open at 6 a.m. They want to have a flexible workspace for adults and parents in the church building, and that is also connected to the school building itself. Also comes with a large parking lot with more than enough parking. I've also gone over with the applicant options for future uses if they don't decide to keep that large of a parking lot. Zoning ordinance requires daycare centers to provide at least 35 square feet of indoor play space per child. They don't have the exact amount of kids figured out yet, but the building is very large, over 9,000 square feet, so it would be big enough to serve several hundred kids you can see the sketch from the assessor's office which shows the size of the church and the school building they do have the required minimum amount of 1200 square feet of outdoor play area which also they will have a playground which is currently being delivered there's also a current location divine minds early learning academy at 425 catawba avenue and we sent a public notice hearing public hearing notice to all properties at 300 feet of the address, and we received one comment from the public who I spoke with in person and also sent an email that's attached.

Thank you for that. Did you speak with that individual after you received the email?

Before. Just clarifying. And also, I kind of forgot, we've been doing these planning exercises for special use permits, so I printed off a separate page, and we can go through that before we take a motion, a roll call.

Okay. In the meantime, I think we should probably do that before we actually go to other items, just so we've worked through it.

Sure. So we've stated that prior to any authorization of a special use permit, the Planning Commission shall give due regard to the nature of all adjacent land uses and structures, shall determine the consistency of the adjacent use and development. In addition, the Planning Commission shall find that the proposed use or activity would not be offensive or nuisance by reason of increased traffic, noise, vibration, or light. Further, the Planning Commission shall find that the adequate water and sewer infrastructure exists or will be constructed to service the special use or activity. So staff has answered the following questions and please let me know if any of the commissioners disagree with this. Would the proposed expansion be considered offensive or a nuisance because any of the following? Increased traffic? Staff said no. Increased noise? No. Increased vibration? No. And increased light? No. And there is already adequate water and sewer infrastructure at the facility.

Sounds good. All right. And then I always forget if we need a motion before the vote begins.

And then if you do make a recommendation, if you could make the one on this sheet, It has the extra sentence at the end that's based on the findings of the facts of the staff report.

Ah, so you're saying this is the motion that you voted for. This is the correct motion, yeah. All right. And then is the applicant present? If you are interested to come forward, if you have anything to add, you're welcome to do that now. If you could just come to the podium and give us your name and any additional information you wanted to share.

Good afternoon, mayor and council members. I am excited and blessed to be here this afternoon. My name is Lataysia Kose. I am the founder and executive director of Divine Minds Early Learning Academy, and we have been in operation since 2020. We currently have a free preschool program that we offer for the community and We have been blessed to be well received. So our wait list is well over 275 students. So this particular building was once operating as a church, a really good staple in the community. And we're hoping to revitalize that building and just to continue to support the community. We are very excited for the opportunities to be able to have a coworking space. that will allow parents and community partners to use. Nursing mothers, when their babies are in care, they can nurse at that time and it doesn't take away from them being able to provide those things for their children. So yes, we're excited again and just thankful for the opportunity to come before you all and we appreciate your time.

All right. Thank you for that. And do any of the Planning Commission members have questions at this time before we go to other questions?

I just have one. I know that right now you said 32 students, and I saw you had a long wait list. What is the maximum amount of students that you would be able to accept given the staffing capacity you'll have?

So currently, I'm not exactly sure about where the 32 students came from. Maybe that could have been an error in the application. 132 is the correct number.

We had talked about the preschool. I thought the preschool number was estimated at 32.

Yes. So for our free preschool program, that would be the 32 then. I see where that came from. So we have a GSRP program that we offer. And with that capacity, we can have up to 18 students per classroom. So we typically don't like to max out our classrooms or put additional stress on staff. So with our staffing capacity, we're looking at about at the very most 16 students per classroom. There's like an option for us to have up to nine classrooms. So we wouldn't have any more than 144 students in the building at one time. But our goal is to stay somewhere around like 132 at the very most.

This may be more of a question for staff, but the schematic that was given to us has the 12,000 square feet on the back end of the building and the 9,000 plus square feet of the church itself. Are we only talking about the building that is listed as 12,000 square feet?

So the special use permit, the church, which is 9,000 square feet, that would be used as the workspace. And the school will be in the one labeled SCHL. It's 12,185 square feet.

Okay, so then my assumption, and kind of to your point, is that I have a total of about 348 kids that you could have within that space. Does that align with your term goals?

Our goal would not to be to max out the space. So I feel that along with our staffing and what we're able to provide high quality care, our goal is never to max out. So the 144 would be a set, solid number for us. Even with the church space, our goal is, again, to have that space for families to use. But if it were to be unused, if the families weren't using it, it would be an additional space for the children to use throughout the day if they weren't in their classroom as well.

I think that answers my questions as of now.

Any other questions from the commission? I have another question. So given you have the school space and the church space, and given the special use permit, can she still use the church space as a church on Sundays if they so wanted to? Or how does that work? I don't know if that's your plans. I just was asking if

The way God works, you never know. My husband is an assistant pastor at our current church, so you never know.

Do you have ownership or lease of the entire building at this time?

So our actual closing date is July 31st, so we're very close to closing. In this permit that we submitted, it allowed for the diocese to sign off saying they're 100% okay for us to move forward. So we would own the entire space.

The entire building?

Yes.

Thank you.

One more question?

Potentially multiple questions. But to follow up on the train of thought and questioning with regard to the amount of students you'd be able to accommodate, you mentioned 144, and that's with the expectation of potentially nine classrooms, maxed out 16 students. Is that 144 inclusive of the free preschool, or is that in addition to the students that you have in the preschool program?

That does add the free preschool program.

Okay.

And we currently have one classroom, but our goal is to expand to a second classroom.

Okay. And you said you had 32 students or children in the preschool presently?

Presently, we have 13. Oh, 13. Yes. Our space at Catawba is a smaller location, and we love it. It's very intimate. We're able to spend, you know, a lot of time, and we're really family-oriented with our families. So this space... Like I said, it's really exciting. Our families are super excited to be able to have the space because we've been really tight in that building.

So you're acquiring all of the property, the building and the surrounding property?

So in our purchase agreement, the space that does not come with the school and the church is, I want to say it's like a parsonage, the house, and then there's a big garage that also is just kind of sold separately. So at this current moment, it's not a part of our purchase agreement.

So the, is it on screen? Yeah, the parsonage was always a separate parcel. So the lot that's on screen, surrounded in the light blue line, you're acquiring that entire parcel, inclusive of the vacant lots?

Yes, it'll be close to four acres.

Do you have any plans presently for programming of the vacant lots? Are you anticipating selling it off to raise capital to fund your program or what?

So right now we've been very blessed. I've been working the last couple years trying to find a second location. So as far as like capital, we are secure with our funding. We have additional funding for like a line of credit and things of that nature. So we don't need any additional funding. In our future, I would see the additional space possibly being a gymnasium or something of that sort for our children to use.

And it was mentioned that you have playground equipment on order. Where do you anticipate installing that on the site?

Right there where the cursor is, that area there is where we're looking to do fencing and then to have two separate play areas for the different age groups of children.

And then for the co-working component, how much space do you anticipate devoting to that and how many people might be able to accommodate with that co-working space?

So the church space of the building holds 500. That's the maximum capacity. And I wouldn't say that we would anticipate to have 500 people at one time, but if our families were to want to rent the space on the weekends or if it were to become a church down the line, that would be the maximum capacity is 500.

To confirm that being a church and zoned as a church now, she has the capacity to operate as is, is that correct?

Churches are allowed as a special use permit as well. I don't know the last time they held service in there, but if it's been within the last couple of years, they're fine to just continue that. But if it stops for over two years generally, the ordinance says that right has been given up.

Okay. Is that clear to yourself, ma'am, that the continued use of the church as a church, then it falls within the special use permit? If that is vacated, if that use is vacated, it becomes you need to reapply for that use.

Okay. I'm not 100% certain, but I believe it was occupied in 2023, last occupied, the building.

Okay. Question, you'd said that if folks choose to rent it, do you mean renting for office work or do you mean renting for event space?

Event space. So Monday through Friday would be our goal for co-working space. We're still in the process of all the details with planning and developing of that co-working space. Our main goal will be for us to be able to start our school year. in the building. Um, our school year starts August 26th. So we're kind of moving as quick as we can. Um, but so our eventual, you know, goal will be, like I said, to start the school side and then to continue in phase two of developing that, that side. So, um, I hope that I answered your question.

You did.

To the point, go ahead.

Yeah, and I guess to staff, an event space would be a different special land use requirement?

Yes, I was not aware of that request. We didn't discuss that in our meeting.

Yeah, I'm so sorry. That was just an idea. If our families were to want to use it on the weekend, we're just very family-oriented, very community-oriented. So if that space was available, I would like people to be able to use it.

We would need... either some type of special use or rezoning. We initially discussed rezonings because I think that might be the best use for not knowing exactly how to fill a building like that. Cause I know she had some other ideas that haven't really been targeted yet. She's on a tight timeframe to try to get to acquire the property. So this was the shorter process and we knew that she could do, um, the coworking space and the school. Um, but it sounds like if you want to get into event spaces or any extra type of businesses, you know, rezoning might be more appropriate down the line.

So one thing to consider just for your information is that each type of use needs to be evaluated independently, right? So right now we're looking at this as for the use of daycare for a school type operation for office co-working. When we talk about event spaces, we're going to evaluate that slightly differently. So we have to determine whether we're going to continue this conversation.

So one more question. When you were thinking about events, because I'm familiar with Divine Minds, and as far as the events that I see you host, they are in conjunction with your daycare. So they're like the play and learns attached with ISD. So is that more of the events that you're looking to do? The mommy, what is it that you do? Like the breastfeeding, the parent cafes. So would that be different? Like if it's not an event as a come have a birthday party here, but it's an event as a this all aligns with education, parental growth, things like that.

essentially having events for folks who are already participants in your business.

Because I know right now at Divine Minds, you all typically do the parent cafes, you do the play and learns, you have the, it was something with moms and dads. Yeah, there were a few things in that capacity, but it was more so for that particular community that you're serving and you may do it on a weekend or something of the sort.

And we do open it up to the community to come. So it When we have events, it's a lot. Our neighbors at our current location, they're like, I think you guys are outgrowing your space. So yes, that would be the main reason that we would want to use that space would be for events. And the majority would be our families, but we do also open it up for the community.

One second on that. When our elementary schools have their Spring carnivals, for example.

If it's all related to the school or the daycare, I think that falls under the same umbrella. If they wanted to host birthday parties or weddings, that would be different.

Essentially, if you're going to rent the space, right? You're going to use it for someone's going to have a wedding. That's a different type of use. But also just keeping in mind the impacts to the neighborhood as you have these types of events.

And just for context on why we're asking these questions is we have to be really consistent with other properties. So if we kind of veer off in one direction with you, we have to make sure that we're being consistent with everybody. And so we're not trying to pick it apart. We're just trying to make sure that we understand where you're coming from, that we're setting you up for success through the discussion. So just so you understand where we're coming from on that.

Yeah. All right. We do need to move into public hearing at the moment. We're still looking at this as a special use request. I think we maybe think through the zoning capacity, but I I imagine we could do that as a separate exercise. Do you agree?

Could you repeat that?

So if we move forward with the request for the special use permit and we determine to evaluate zoning at a later time, do you feel that that... Yeah, I think...

We've made it pretty clear that it's for the school, the daycare, and the office space. Anything related to the daycare or the school can have evening events. But if they're renting it out for a rental hall type of use, that would require a different type of zoning. Okay.

Thank you for that. The public hearing, am I doing the motion after the public hearing?

Yes, you are.

So at this time, we are having a public hearing. Thank you very much for coming forward. If anybody else has comments or anything they would like to add regarding specifically this application, you may do so now. Anybody in the audience wants to come forward, please let us know. I am seeing none, and I'm going to go to the phones. 231-724-6721. We'll give that a minute.

I know.

We have a little delay, so we have to give folks time to... I need some version of the Jeopardy. All I have is Mario in my head. Now I've got that in my head. You're welcome. It's better than McDonald's, the other one I have. All right, I'm going to go ahead and presume we do not have any public comment at this time. I will make note that we did receive an email from a neighbor, potentially a neighbor, I'm not sure where the...

Neighbor.

A neighbor, okay, who did have some specific concerns. Their concerns were around the playground and a fence. You mentioned that you have a fence. Will that be installed before the playground is open to your... Okay. And then the... Other comment was in regards to noise, potential traffic, and concerns about large masses of children creating the opportunity for violence against children, which is certainly always a concern for kids. But I don't think that the, personally, the presence of lots of children is a reason that we should, we shouldn't avoid that in order to avoid the things that we need to take care of. So, that's all the comments that we've had. I would take English.

I move to close the public hearing. public hearing has been closed and then I would take another motion to continue discussion all in favor of closing the public hearing and then I move to approve the request for a special land use permit to operate a school daycare and co-work office space at 451 South Getty Street to be approved based on the findings of facts and the staff exercise located in the staff report second okay the motion

To approve the special use permit has been seconded. And then do we have any final questions or comments from the commission at this time? I am not seeing any. Oh, you have one more?

Let me just say, thank you for the work that you do in our community. And thank you for choosing to grow with Ms. Segan and serving the youth of Ms. Segan. So thank you.

I will add some comments. I am a former resident in that neighborhood. That area has been vacant for a very long time. And I was just thinking yesterday that we really need a lot more daycares in Muskegon. So I'm very interested and excited to see this project move forward.

And second shift. It's going to actually be down the street from my home. And second shift. All right.

I will take a roll call, please.

Commissioner Simmons?

Yes.

Garan?

Yes.

Seifert?

Yes.

De La Garza? Yes. Johnson? Yes. And Willette Leroy?

Yes. All right. Motion passes. It is approved. And we also have a few more things on our agenda.

Nothing.

Just nothing. Officially, we have old business, new business. I have none of those. Does anybody else have any? I presume as a special meeting, we did not plan for other business. And we do, do we have to do public comment because it is a meeting?

Okay.

There are lots of folks in the room. If anybody has any general public comment about planning items, you may forward it this time. Still seeing none. I'm gonna go to the phones. 231-724-6721. We'll give that one more minute. Alright, I am not seeing anybody phoning in. Closed public comment. And I would take a second to adjourn. Anybody? Second. Second. Moved and seconded. All in favor, say aye. Aye. All opposed, stay here. We've got a majority rules.