Update 5/19/17 – The Troy City Council denied the rezoning request from E-Z Mini Storage on May 8 with a 5-2 vote. More than 20 residents spoke in opposition to the proposal, reiterating earlier concerns that the mixed-use self-storage project didn’t fit the community. The application would have needed a supermajority of five votes in favor of the plan because at least 20 percent of property owners within 100 feet of the target site submitted a valid protest petition on May 5, according to the source.

May 19, 2017

3 Min Read
Council Denies Mixed-Use Self-Storage Project in Troy, MI

Update 5/19/17 – The Troy City Council denied the rezoning request from E-Z Mini Storage on May 8 with a 5-2 vote. More than 20 residents spoke in opposition to the proposal, reiterating earlier concerns that the mixed-use self-storage project didn’t fit the community. The application would have needed a supermajority of five votes in favor of the plan because at least 20 percent of property owners within 100 feet of the target site submitted a valid protest petition on May 5, according to the source.

Though Savidant praised the self-storage operator for doing “a very good job breaking up the massing of the building” by using architectural elements and a wall to separate the three-story structure from homes, as well as offering a private park for public use on the property, council members sided with residents.

“Looking at this, it looks out of place,” councilmember Ethan Baker said during the meeting. “Nobody spoke in support of the project. No one has ever said, ‘We need more storage facilities.’ I don’t think the project caters to the neighborhood needs.”

Councilmember Ed Pennington agreed, suggesting “housing would be a better fit.”

Councilmember Dave Henderson and Mayor Dane Slater supported the rezoning.

3/8/17 – Residents are pressuring Troy, Mich., officials to deny a rezoning application for a mixed-use development that would include self-storage, office space and retail near single-family homes. E-Z Mini Storage is seeking to build a three-story structure on 1.8 acres west of Livernois Road and south of Long Lake Road. The $5 million facility would be “state-of-the-art,” according to Steve Nolan, who represented the developer in a Feb. 14 public hearing.

During the meeting, project opponents cited security issues, traffic congestion, market saturation, privacy loss and building height as reasons to deny the venture, the source reported. “Would you want a three-story building next to your home? It’s out of place,” said resident Phil Ohman.

Despite the protests, the Troy Planning Commission voted 7-1 to recommend the city council approve the conditional rezoning from single-family residential to a neighborhood-node zoning, which is how the land is designated in the city’s master plan. Commissioner Philip Sanzica was absent from the meeting, while commissioner Michael Hutson voted against the project due to its height. “This is the only three-story [building]. It’s not compatible,” Hutson said.

The 109,800-square-foot property would contain 700 storage units, 600 square feet of office space for small businesses and 2,700 square feet of retail space. Businesses wouldn’t be allowed to operate out of the storage business, which would attract four to five cars per hour, Nolan said.

A retail tenant hasn’t yet been named, but the area would be separate from the storage facility, the source reported. “We’re very picky [about] who our [retail] tenants are,” said Bill Bowman, who also represented the developer during the hearing.

The site also includes a 7,863-square-foot unregulated wetland, according to Ben Carlisle, senior associate of Carlisle/Wortman Associates Inc. and the city’s planning consultant. The developer plans to build a rain garden circled by a 5-foot-wide sidewalk near the rear of the property, the source reported.

A petition protesting the rezoning has been submitted to the city, but the petitioners’ names have yet to be verified by the city clerk, said Troy City Planner R. Brent Savidant. The appeal will be submitted to the city council, which has final approval on rezoning requests. A second public hearing has yet to be set, the source reported.

 

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