BRADY TOWNSHIP PLANNING COMMISSION
MINUTES OF MEETING HELD APRIL 17, 2008
A regular meeting of the Brady Township Planning Commission was held on April 17, 2008 commencing at 7:30 p.m.
Members present: Chairman Gary Miller
Vice Chairman Randy Smith
Mike Henderson
Ed Haberle
Kathy Guthrie
Dave Locey
Absent: Jan Becker.
Also attending: Township Attorney Craig Rolfe and 7 others.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Mike Henderson made a motion to approve the minutes of March 20, 2008 as written. Kathy Guthrie supported, and the motion was carried unanimously.
PUBLIC HEARING
Chairman Gary Miller opened the Public Hearing to consider a request by Robert Moore for a Special Exception Use Permit to have accessory buildings in the front yard. Mr. Moore’s request is covered in Brady Township Zoning Ordinance Article 17.1 (4b) and Article 18.3.
Robert Moore, 10300 East T Avenue in Brady Township, stated that he recently purchased a parcel of land at 10608 East T Avenue. He stated that this parcel adjoins his land on the south and east. The land in this area is zoned AG. He stated that the house on the parcel is in very bad condition and not habitable. Mr. Moore would like to demolish the house. There is also a 5-year-old pole building and a very nice garage on a concrete slab that he would like to keep for storage. However, once the house is demolished, the accessory buildings would be in the front yard of his home on the adjoining parcel to the west of the accessory buildings. He noted that the accessory buildings would not be in front of the neighbor’s houses. Mr. Moore had sketches of the property and structures as well as a site plan review application.
Elmer Walters, 10797 East T Avenue, stated that he is a neighbor across the street from the parcel in question and that he would like to see the “eyesore” removed. His wife, Sandra Walters, stated that there are broken windows on the house and she fears vandalism and drug use. She would like to see the house demolished.
Jake Peterman, 10799 East T Avenue, stated that he also lives across the street from the parcel. He stated that he has a brand new house and would like to see the uninhabitable house removed.
There has been no written correspondence received about this request. There was no further public comment, and the Public Hearing was closed.
The Planning Commission reviewed Zoning Ordinance Article 17.1 (4b) and determined that the standards for granting a special use permit are met for items 2 and 3. A site plan review is required to determine if item 1 has been met.
Chairman Gary Miller went through the site plan application. He noted that many of the items on the application were not applicable to Mr. Moore’s request. The Planning Commission determined from the information in the site plan application that all criteria for granting a special use permit has been met as set forth in Brady Township Ordinance Article 18.3.
Kathy Guthrie made a motion to approve Mr. Moore’s request for a special use permit. Mike Henderson seconded the motion, and it was carried unanimously.
OLD BUSINESS: none.
NEW BUSINESS:
A. REVIEW SCHOOLCRAFT TOWNSHIP’S PROPOSED MASTER LAND USE PLAN AND PROPOSED LAND USE AND ZONING CHANGES
Craig Rolfe stated that Howard Bailey of Schoolcraft Township has requested the rezoning of 440 acres of prime farmland from AG to R-3 (medium density residential). Attorney Rolfe stated that this land is zoned as AG in the existing Land Use Plan. He further stated that Schoolcraft Township is co-incidentally in the process of reviewing its Land Use Plan. Schoolcraft Township Planning Commission has requested the input of this Planning Commission about these matters.
After much discussion, Mike Henderson made a motion that Gary Miller send a statement to the Schoolcraft Township Planning Commission this Planning Commission has concerns about the consumption of prime Ag lands for residential use and the potential effect of a medium residential development of the surface and ground water we share with Schoolcraft Township. Kathy Guthrie seconded and the motion was carried unanimously.
B. REVIEW WATERFRONT SETBACK ORDINANCE (Article 15.3)
There was discussion about the current waterfront setback ordinance. There was a consensus that the impact of structures on the view of the lake is the reason for the ordinance. Mike Henderson stated that the current ordinance is fundamentally sound, but that some clarifications are needed on how measurements are taken, if non-conforming points of structures are used, etc. There was a question about how the distance of a structure from the lake was determined. Randy Smith made a motion to table this review and invite a representative from SCMCCI to attend the next meeting before making any further decisions.
Kathy Guthrie seconded, and the motion was carried 5 votes to 1 vote.
C. REVIEW PROPOSED LAND USE PLAN
The Planning Commission delegated Randy Smith to review Attorney Rolfe’s input to the proposed land use plan. Randy will incorporate this input into the text and distribute copies for the Planning Commissioners to review before the next regular meeting.
REPORTS: none.
Attorney Craig Rolfe stated that there are amendments to the Consolidated Planning Enabling Act and a 2006 Zoning Enabling Act. He will review these changes and send his comments to any impact the changes have on Brady Township.
Kathy Guthrie made a motion to adjourn at 9:30 p.m. Mike Henderson seconded and the motion was carried unanimously.
The next regular Planning Commission Meeting is scheduled for September 18, 2008 at 7:30 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
____________________________
Chairman Gary Miller
Brenda Brock,
Recording Secretary