Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

[Applause] Please rise for the pledge pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. This is the Selen City Planning Commission meeting for Wednesday, June 11th, 2025. Uh, will the recording secretary please call the role? Young here, Carol here, Fosdic here, Marl is absent, Gerba here, H here, Lefort here. Staff present tonight are community development director Atkin and recording secretary Katnik. Um I would like to make an amendment to the agenda uh to include uh 10 minutes for applicant developer comments um after acknowledging receipt under public hearing number 258. Um, so is there a motion to approve the agenda as amended unless there are additional amendments? Second. All those in favor? I. All those opposed. Motion passes. Is there a motion on the table to approve the meeting minutes of May 14th, 2025 as submitted? Second or move. Second. All those in favor? I. All those opposed? Motion passes. Public comment. Under the open meetings act, any citizen may come forward at this time and make comments. The person is requested but not required to state their name and address for the record. Comments will be limited to three minutes per person. Seeing no public comments, uh we will start with the public hearing number 25-08. application from Pinnacle Express Holdings LLC for a special land use to permit an automobile maintenance and repair facility at a portion of 1415 Industrial Drive, Selen, Michigan 48176, parcel number 18-12-30-451-014,

a portion of unadressed parcel number 18-12-30-451-990 and unressed parcel 18-2 12-30-451-011. In our packet, we had a memo dated June 3rd, 2025 from community development director Atkin. Okay, so this one has a lot of moving pieces to it. Um, if you go back to the back of the packet where the 11 by7 fold outs are, we can start there just to give a little lay of the land. There's one full parcel included in this and portions of the other. Um, Uh so if you go to guess it would be the second page it has an outline of the parcels that are involved. So the yellow dashed outline and the blue portion to the top that is the city owned property that we currently have a purchase and development agreement with uh the applicant for. So the blue area will remain in the city that is identified as a wetland by the DEQ back in the day but no Eagle. So the yellow 3.86 acres is in the development agreement. So is the 0.3 acres which is part of a another piece of city- owned property that is 13 acres. So the 13.7 acres stays with the city of the.3 then the 4.96 acres is privately owned and they have a uh purchase agreement uh with the owner of that currently. So the purpose of them purchasing the property uh to the north 1415 uh is to have access along off of uh industrial drive there.

It's 50 about 50 ft wide or so. back camera so they can get an access drive in there. Uh what Mr. Fayman eats across the street um up on the curb there. He he leases property and runs his uh is it logistics? Is that more uh we run aviation fuel wholesale company out of Seline and logistics fleet semi-truckss and so that's what this uh development is going to be for. Now, in the ordinance, it doesn't state for tractor trailers. It's just automobile repair maintenance, which is the closest we could fit it to, which is a special use in the I2 district. Um, this is not going to be open to the public. This is strictly for his business alone, nobody else. Uh, and up front there about the 5,000 square ft uh office building, which will be Pinnacles. uh be more AR aerero for Aero Energy Aero Energy's headquarters and offices and then the the 10,000 foot building in the back will be majority of it will be for indoor maintenance on the fleet trucks uh with an office on the uh north side there. So um there are utilities available out in Industrial Drive. uh all utilities are available public utilities. Uh so this site plan sketch site plan is not a full preliminary um not not really necessary at this point because without approved special land use approval um it doesn't make sense for them to spend the time and the money to put together a full preliminary with the utilities and uh everything that goes with it uh until they know for sure what's going to happen. So it property is a lot bigger than it looks. I think it's it's close to 10 acres once

it's all put together. Yeah. Right. Right around there with the wetland. 9.12 acres. So um they have been working. There is a crossing back in there about right at where it says air or excuse me energy way. Um right at the corner there there's a wetland or a crossing. They've been working with Eagle to get that permitted. I think you've submitted some designs. Um, but for the most part, the exception of what's listed uh in the back there with the uh asphalt millings, everything fits on on the site. You know, there's going to there's going to have to be probably some a little more care taken on this property at the time of development and then type of operation because of the wetlands that are around there. uh they have over the course of their due diligence gone through and they delineated the wetlands. Um what they came out with and what we show uh when this was platted, it's pretty much that northern line there on the city property of what they're going to be purchasing is is a delineation line for that. So in a nutshell. Okay. Um, I do have a question about the asphalt millings adjacent to a wetland. Um, that's typically a no-go. Um, I noticed that you had made a comment about um changing it to asphalt or impervious surface uh instead of the millings. In the zoning ordinance, any parking or drive area, drive lanes have to be impervious surface, either uh asphalt, concrete or I think I said brick or blocker or something of the sorts. Um will we be expecting a change for that as part of the preliminary plan or a combined final

site plan with uh Joe, the designer, the engineer on Friday. Um I believe he's going to propose possible phase development for that. Uh this is a little bit different than what the original excuse me plan was that they put together. It was sketch plan just showing they had a culde-sac in the back. So um but I'll discuss that and you know with the with phase development each phase gets a 365day uh time excuse me time limit on it and there's bonds that are put forth or each phase of it to be sorry u be developed in that in that time frame. Okay. Thank you. Questions for planner Atkin. I mean community development director Atkin. Yes. Um the back looks like a parking lot. Is that just for truck story? That would be just for his his fleet trucks. Correct. Yes. And I did recommend because that is visible from that uh section there of Industrial Drive and then it also from uh Woodland Drive there. uh just to add some buffer, some additional buffer because between there and the railroad track, it's it's wide open. But yes, that need his fleet. Any questions? Not I mean the one thing here too is that because a lot of this wetland surrounds this, it's still subject to final approval by Eagle. Correct. So some of this could change. They're going to have to Yeah. Um especially for the crossing. I just put that in there for as a condition that at time final site plan or before even submits are issued that they submit the certification or permits or or what

whatever it is that uh Eagle gives out for approval. So will this be the plan that goes to council for the special approval or something slightly different? This will be what goes for special approval at this point? Yes. Thank you. Yeah, this is tonight's approval is for the special land use. Um, no site plan. I mean, whether they choose to combine preliminary and final, that is yet to be determined. They'll still have to go through engineering and and everything else. Yeah, I just because council has a tendency to look at this before the real final solution and just want to make sure we clarify that. There is some conflicting information in the ordinance about what is required um at the time of site plan approval or excuse me for special land use approval refers to the section on preliminary calls out for a full-blown preliminary site plan which traditionally for uh special land use conditional land use or adapt use or what have you. It's until they have permission. They're, you know, basically got to put the boxes on within the property lines to show it works. Okay. Any additional questions? Is there a motion on the table to acknowledge the receipt of the memo June 3rd, 2025 from community development director Atkin? Second. All those in favor? I. All those opposed? Motion passes. Uh we'll open it up for applicant developer comments. Uh let me move to 10 minutes per person. uh 10 minutes total if you'd like to come up and speak. Don't need to. You don't need to. It's just we're affording you the opportunity in case there's anything you'd like to say. Use the mic. Yeah. Make sure the green light is illuminated at the base of that mic. Uh I just want to introduce myself, Craig Damon. I've been in Seline most of my life. and I graduated high and working in the aviation fuel wholesale

business and armor lead in an armor service non-industrial guy but looking to consolidate that keep get some more employees into Selen district and you know out of township want to see if I can make this go do it the right Thank you. Joe White with JW Civil Works. I would add uh um Mr. Atkins brought up the uh asphalt millings and uh uh that's something that that we're hopeful that that we could work through with Eagle and the other approving bodies. Uh uh just just because it's there's a significant amount of parking area and it uh we're we're fearful that maybe if it has to be a hard surface, it becomes cost prohibitive. And uh we're just looking at those options is can we make this work on the property um uh financially and uh and still comply with with uh environmental concerns and um and I know that it would potentially require a variance uh or a waiver um but uh something that I would hope that we could still keep on the table. Thank you. Thank you. Any questions for our applicant or developer? Madam Chair, I move to open the public hearing at uh 7:13, affording the public an opportunity to speak. Second. All those in favor? I. All those opposed? Motion passes. Seeing no public comments, seeing nobody in the audience, uh I will move to close the public comment period at 7:14. Second. All those in favor? I. All those

opposed? Motion passes. Uh comments, questions from planning commission members either for community development director Atkin or um to our applicant developer. Yes, Mr. G. I appreciate you working with our community development director and is assembling this property because even for us it was a benefit to put it back on the tax roles and uh glad that this plan could work out this way. I I believe the issue related to the millings and everything is an eagle call, not our city. Correct. So, however that plays out, I mean, I know from our perspective in our environmental approach, we're going to probably be really close on their um heels to make sure that they follow the proper protocols. Yeah, the planning commission for any parking area or driveway area doesn't allow plan commission make any determination any leeway there. So, the options would be a non-use variance or base development at this stage as I talked to Joe. Um I don't anticipate that a use variance would go through uh just because this self-created financial uh issues can't be considered. Um there's the property is unique but it doesn't it's not prohibitive to uh paving or having impervious surface as far as buildings go uh you know runoff and once you know compromise as petroleum product and once those bonds are broken and and rain or any sort of runoff uh with wetlands around there it increases the chance of potential contamination of the area. So

that's yeah, I mean definitely a conversation to have with Eagle. Um but from this board's standpoint, you know, what what they're allowed to do legally, they can't offer any can't offer the variance other just the phased type development. Um, and perhaps maybe we can look at from our own perspective of community development and land enhancement things and such that come out of that industrial park to see if we can assist with maybe the cost of what is being considered. Yes, this uh actual that parcel the 1415 parcel is part of the LDFA. So there might be some resource there or either through a payment or whatever kind of thing because in the past we have done that. Yeah. So if it would help to avoid that concern of the millings and such, I think we should look into that kind of assistance. So we'll mention that at council too. Okay. Thank you, Madam Chair. I apologize for my tardiness. Um were there conditions recommended um on the the subsequent motion to approve or not to approve? Um we have not offered that motion yet. Um so there are items to address that are on page 507 of our memo. Um but there were no conditions that were enumerated um as part of our packet. Okay. So Mr. Atkins, you don't recommend any conditions on the motion to approve. Uh no conditions other than the uh buffer along the northwest property line between the parking area and the railroad track. So is that a condition? Yes. Uh it's hard to determine where it would fall under in the landscape ordinance uh since it's not a public parking lot. Um but it is visible from a rightway. Okay. So how would you state that in the as an addendum to the motion

just as as a condition? Okay. Would you I'm sorry. No, go ahead. with with the number of parking spaces that you have around the proper the maintenance building then to the northwest there is that um necessity from the get-go or is that something that can kind of be it would be overflow for rigs coming in and out of Illinois and what have you but uh we'd probably you know downsize that area out there so it it's not visible at all from you looking at it from flat out bread is the only place you can see see that portion you know looking through the woods look at that but I asked because I know when we discussed I said you just put everything on there whether or not it's going to be built right now or you know sometime in the future not necessarily phase so you don't have to come back and get an amendment to the special land use um but if you know how many spaces you might need in the back there you don't necessarily How many there? What's showing on? I don't have the drawing. 23, I believe. We had 12 on one side, 11 on the 23. That's that's a few. That was just asking for everything. Yeah, that's fine. You know, that could also be designated as uh deferred parking in the future that you don't need it right now, but uh if it gets to the point where you need some additional that you can put it on there. So I I just looked at this as everything's going to be built or installed at the same time. So again, y and that's the intention that you know I'd like to get to. It's just you know financials you know burden of putting all that you know developing that piece of property. I mean it's it's chopped up and there's wetlands on it and a lot of topographical back there. Yeah, for the most part that

portion of the property that they're going to purchase from the city, especially on the 1415, that's the only developable area up there. Everything else is pretty low. Chris, just on there, it looks like there's quite a bit of land on each side of the office. Is it possible to move the office one way or the other and then put the parking in that lower parcel? Uh when you say office, you the 5,000 square foot, right? Uh there's some wetlands in there and I I believe that they want to keep as many of the as much as the natural vegetation that's there for buffer. Um where the office is is I think it's pretty closest to the highest point with between basically the road and the maintenance and that's why they chose that location. Okay. So there's no way to put more space, parking spaces up in that without a lot of red tape with eagle, a lot more than what they're going to be facing. Okay. I want to jump back to my question. Uh because maybe I'm being obtuse. So there's one condition then and it pertains to the buffering. Yeah. Conditional approval agreed to. Okay. Put the landscaping in there. If you know, I guess at this point if they decide that they're going to use that now or eventually if they put it in later than they require, I'll make the motion then to approve with that one added condition. Second additional discussion. Sorry, I just want to clarify now I don't understand. So all these items to address, they just don't they're there items to address, but they don't have to be addressed at this stage or things to be considered or dis like limitations or conditions right now because it's just special land use. Correct. Okay. But except for the buffer. Yeah, the buffer I I

itemized them. So for the stages like this is going to be needed in the final site plan. These are things to just discuss topics. Okay. or for clarification, but right now just want to see if the boxes fit property use. Even with the maintenance, they're going to have to get uh you know special type floorings or any contaminate uh containment systems for any fluids that are basically anything that you'd see in a uh place where you go get their oil changed similar to that. If the overflow parking is not uh constructed or does not make it to preliminary or final site plan, um is there a need for a landscape buffer at this point? No. Okay. So, as long as it's on this plan, we need to require it as a condition. Don't want to put the parking in right now. We can just put that as deferred parking. That way, they don't have to come back for an amendment if necessary. Thank you. Additional questions? All right, we have a motion on the table uh to uh move by Mayor Marl, seconded by Mr. Gerba to approve with the conditions of the landscape offer for the special land use portion of 1415 industrial drive uh Selen, Michigan 48176. Um all those in favor I. All those opposed motion passes. Congratulations. Um there is no new business. Uh are there any discussion items? Let me make a comment. This would be a recommendation to unless I didn't hear it. Recommendation is Okay. Then we're going to do this again. Mayor Mororrow, is this okay if you Yeah. Yeah. Go ahead. Okay. Uh recommend for recommendation to approve to city council with the special with the one condition.

Okay, good. Um so moved by Marl, second by Gerba. Additional discussion. We're okay with this. Okay, let's do this again. All those in favor. All those opposed. Motion passes. Uh any discussion? Okay, seeing none, uh no absences tonight. Um is there a motion to adjurnn at 7:24? Second. All those in favor? I. All those opposed? Motion passes. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you.