Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

by vote and then when we do hopefully the other two folks will come two five yeah two more two more two more yes correct Chairperson Togo here. Vice Chair Brown here. Commissioner Tungate here. Commissioner Eiselman, Commissioner Celixson, Commissioner, Commissioner Mlelen, Commissioner Whitehead, Commissioner Walters Gill.

Okay, we do not have a quum, but we have a roll call. We will open the meeting and we will skip to the areas that don't require a vote. So, let's begin with the communications and correspondence. We have an administrative review for the Detroit Diamond District and the administrative review from Ever Wedding Studio Studio. We have read those documents that you have provided for us. They are a March 30th. Mr. Chair,

I'm sorry to interrupt you. Um, we are now using our mics live. So, please feel you have to push the button so they'll There you go. How's that? Good. All right. How's that? That's good. Good. Okay. So, on March 30th, we received a memo. It does not require a vote and uh it is just a administrative re review. So, let me start with um the Detroit Diamond District. Any questions? Okay. Hearing none. Anything you'd like to tell us other than what we read? Okay, looks good. Nothing to add. Sorry. Nothing to add.

Great. Well, these memos are excellent, so there's not much to add. Okay. And the same with Ever and Ever Wedding Studio also dated March 30th. And uh the all I noted on here is when the approvals will expire in 27, assuming we'll get all that done. Anything you'd like to add? Nothing to add. Great. All right. I'd like to ask the uh city manager if he would to spend a minute with us on the capital improvement plan 2627 annual bud budget under new business. Mr. Tungate.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um planning commission members, I do want to start right on it's going to be listed as page 43 of 46 of our budget. Um this is the capital improvement plan. And I'd like to remind you that this is a six-year plan. Um, and I'd like, as you know, we do a three-year budget here in the city of Oak Park, but I'd like you to pay particular attention to the fiscal year 2627 budget in the light blue column there for those of the expenses for capital projects that we're going to be conducting uh in the next fiscal year. Um, I'm not going to go through each one of these. I'm happy to answer any questions that you may have. I do want to point out that on page page 40 Nope, it's not there either. It'll be page 45 of 46 at the top of the page under public safety. I do want to point out um planning commission members, as you know, this is not the final capital improvement plan. Um that will be submitted to city council on May 18th. But I do want to point out that you'll as you go down to line number 48 for the fire truck. Um we are in the process of identifying ways to pay for a new firetruck. As you know, we just got one two years ago. Um, thankfully we received a federal earmark to help us pay for that. Um, we estimate the cost for a new firetruck engine to couple with our other new one to be about $1.3 million. Um, and we've been told from the manufacturer that there's about a two-year waiting period to order one of those. Um, we would like to and we are

looking into ways to identify financing opportunities um to get the truck quicker than as it's projected right now the fiscal year 2930 um budget year. Um, outside of that, I'm happy to answer any questions that you may have. We are conducting several capital projects in the water and sewer area as well as our major and local street fund. Um, we do have both uh an unmarked and marked police vehicle um in our budget as we have for the last many years. Um, open it to questions.

Any questions, Joe? Okay, no questions. Thank you. Wonderful job. What does that firet truck cost? Well, we think it's we've estimated it to be about $1.3 million um current day. If we waited until fiscal year 2930, obviously that cost would go up probably at more than the rate of inflation.

Um so, if we're able to finance it, we think our payments with approximately 6% interest would be somewhere around the $120,000 annually range. Um, and if we're able to find that pathway and financing that makes sense for us, then I'm going to include that in next fiscal budget, next budget year's request. Um, so we can get that ordered and underway. Okay, great. All right. Um, on the consent agenda, there's an amendment to the Detroit master plan of policies. That's going to require a vote. Okay. So, is there anything else that you could see on the agenda that doesn't require a vote?

Just the most the master plan update. Okay. Yes. Sorry. The master plan update, the old business committee engagement. Anything you want to report to us?

Uh, it's just that uh the first master plan openhouse uh was held on March 23rd. uh resident reviewed materials related to land use, housing, economic development, future investment uh priorities. Uh the master plan boards are displayed here at the city hall through April 10th and they're going to be displayed at the public library from April 13 to April 26. There is also an online engagement through the city's uh there is a dedicated website for the master plan update and we're going to continue to keep you informed as the update progresses.

Okay, great. Any questions? Okay, thank you. All right. So, according to my agenda, we have a amendment to the Detroit master plan of policies and a public hearing and a vote uh to consider the Citybook Park zoning ordinance regarding EV ching stations. Mr. Chair, yes. So, I'm going to ask a question of our staff. Am I Are we allowed to ask questions about something we're going to vote on even though we're not voting on it? Yes, you can ask questions. Okay. So, with that, Mr. Mr. Chairman, can I ask a question about the city of Detroit master plan of policies amendment notice? Of course.

Um, I'm curious and I I wasn't able to find this in the documents, but I'm curious are these these are for two largecale developments. And are the Do you happen to know what these are? Are these data centers by any chance? No, I don't believe so. To my knowledge, they did not um represent what the actual project was, just that there was the resoning request in those areas. um they are significant significantly far away from the city of Oak Park and would not have an impact on us.

Okay. So then I just have a followup to that then. So um these are little bit off of this but would if it were a data center would it require a light industrial zoning? Do you happen to know? It depends. I would have to check the uh city of Detroit zoning uh definitions for what um their light industrial um allowed uses are. So it is different in every community. Um I would need to look into that and get back to you. Okay. Thank you. No, it's not a data center.

No, we don't know what it is. The first one was a 400,000 square foot um looks like facility, a light industrial um warehouse facility. And then the second one was a commercial thoroughfare supporting a future community informed commercial or open space vision

which would be a transition into the adjacent residential area as a buffer zone. Okay, Mr. Chair, I have one more question. I'm sorry. So, so Kimber Salam, because we can't approve this tonight if we don't have a quorum, is this going to affect the timing of their project or projects? Yeah, it's 43. Usually, it's 43 days. When did we receive it? Received it March 9th. So, and I say that because it it'll affect our response to them. Um, but they can still move forward. They'll just assume we did not respond. Yeah.

Okay. And there's no way this can become an administrative approval under our guidelines. Correct. Correct. Okay. Any other questions? Okay. Um, Chairman Togo, so we did text the two people who were supposed to be here and we have not yet heard back from them. So I will leave it up to both of you on how you want to proceed. I'd give it another five minutes. Sounds fair. Could tell a short story while we're waiting. Does that sound like a good Do you have one? I have so many.

I do have a question. the the question that I have under this new thing that um new to me that you sent us the information and that's something new. We don't have the documents delivered. So are we supposed to now print them out for ourself? Oh, it's on. It's on. No. Um we we always send it via email as well as deliver hard copies. So we are not requiring you to print copies. We will still deliver the hard copies. We just also send um along with that the electronic copy.

Well, okay. I did not get my packet. You did not get your packet. I did not get my packet. That's why I'm asking these questions. I will I will follow up with our code enforcement who does those deliveries and find out what happened. My apologies. When did they deliver? Uh Wednesday. Um they to last Wednesday. Last Wednesday they took them at 200 p.m. Around 2 p.m. Oh, that might be that might be in my junk mail. Okay. Okay. Okay. I got mine. I'll go back and look. I got mine. Thank you. Good.

Mr. Chair, while we have time here, I'm happy to answer any other questions that you may have about city affairs. You're doing a great job. Love our city. Keep doing what you're doing. I was um able to walk inside of the vent hub facility this afternoon and I was It It's magical. I can't wait to unveil it to the public. Looks great. It's going to be amazing. Looks great. It's it's it's me I mean more beautiful than I imagined.

You know, maybe just a compliment to the city of Oak Park public safety. Um, on the day that Temple Israel was attacked, our public safety was front and center along with 600 total law enforcement folks. And Steve Cooper and his team were so helpful and so on the scene. It was really nice and very appreciated. Okay. What do you think it likely anyway was coming? No. No response. No response. Still no response. No response. My apologies.

No problem. We uh at least you have a council meeting tonight, right? Y. All right. We'll do it at the next meeting. Thank you. Thanks for coming. Um, sorry, guys. We may need to res schedule. When when is the date that you need the CIP approved? Can you do these by email? It doesn't need to be. Yes, it does. The approval. So, I don't need the CIP approved by commission. Just need the recommendation. I don't even need that. They've been given a copy of it. So, okay. Yeah.

What mean do I vote on? I don't I don't want them to vote on this any No, I talked to city attorney before the meeting. So, And on the EV um charging stations, nobody's selling any EV anyways. So, are you That's good. That's good. Okay. So, you you want a date to reschedule this meeting? You're saying

is it is it going to inhibit these though if we wait until the next meeting time? Um, she said no because of the public hearing reschedu for May. Yeah, chairperson. We do need to at least open the public hearing and then say it will be um rescheduled to the next planning commission. My apologies. No problem.

All right. Um, without any objection, we're going to open the public hearing uh 7A to consider a proposed amendment to the city of Oak Park zoning ordinance to add regulations regarding electric vehicle charging stations. The proposed amendment will also include revisions to article 4 division 4 signs and we did receive a very thorough uh memorandum which was in our packages. And since we do not have a quorum, we will not open the public hearing, but we've officially offered it up. Rescheduled to May 4th.

Rescheduled to May 4th. Great. Okay. Fantastic. Thank you all. So, we are journed. We are adjourned.