Gary Zarkowski, owner of property-development and real estate firm Zarkowski Properties, is seeking approval to build a self-storage facility on a parcel he owns in Greenville, Mich. The vacant 5-acre site at 6910 S. Greenville Road is across from the former Meijer Inc. grocery and behind an AutoZone auto-parts store.

Zarkowski presented the Greenville Planning Commission with a request for a special land-use permit on Aug. 11. However, the board determined his plans weren’t sufficient to allow for “an informed decision,” according to Tim Johnson, city planner. “The information submitted doesn’t meet our qualifications,” he said. “Drainage, lights, what do the buildings look like? What’s there now? These are questions we need answered.”

Despite the lack of a formal site plan, the board unanimously voted to schedule a public hearing for Sept. 22, with Zarkowski’s promise that he would submit a proper plan in a timely manner, according to the source. He cited concerns about hiring contractors to begin work before the winter months. The public-hearing notice must be published within 14 days of hearing.

“We certainly can set the public hearing for the 22nd, and put a contingency in there that if you are unable to get us a proper site plan, the hearing will be scheduled for the following the meeting,” Johnson said.

Zarkowski should also be prepared to answer questions about the development during the hearing, Johnson said. “What’s the impact on the neighbors around you? We have to contact them by mail, let them know so they have the opportunity to come and ask questions during the public hearing,” he said. “Questions about lights, noise, people visiting at certain hours, how it’s fenced, landscaped—you want to be able to answer those questions.”

The storage facility will border homes and other properties along Fairview Street and Sage Road, the source reported. Zarkowski described the property as an “odd-shaped parcel,” which he hopes will one day have access to Michigan Highway 91 and the city’s truck route on Greenville West Drive.

Approval for a special land-use request is made at the discretion of the commission, Johnson said. “Special land use is a discretionary approval,” he said. “Does this use fit this site or not? Or maybe they’ll decide it just doesn’t work at all.”

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