Members of the City of Northville Planning Commission met online last week and discussed three issues that impact residents and businesses in the city.
Commissioners approved new outdoor storage space for Northville Lumber, consented to a public survey for the Master Plan public input process, and asked the city planning consultant to incorporate changes to the draft Floor Area Ratio (FAR) ordinance.
The Planning Commission approved the Special Land Use and Preliminary Site Plan requested by Northville Lumber for outdoor storage at 777 Baseline Road, with some conditions. The business must limit the use of the southern portion of the site to storage of building materials only, provide six truck parking spaces and maintain storage within the boundaries as indicated on the plan. The commissioners also required only loading and unloading on the south side of the building as a secondary use to storage.
In addition, Northville Lumber must supply the city with Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) annually for materials stored outside.
On another topic, members of the subcommittee for the public input process of the Master Plan presented an update of their work. Based on that recommendation, the planning commissioners agreed to work with Carlisle Workman Associates (CWA) on a Master Plan Survey.
Commissioners also requested changes to the Floor Area Ratio (FAR) ordinance language in response to a presentation by City Planner Sally Elmiger at the April meeting. Changes include a change in the FAR factor to 0.36 for all properties; add 2,500 square-foot minimum house size if FAR results in a house less than 2,500 square foot and investigate the addition of language excluding bonus rooms above a garage and half stories if that room(s) is located within the slope of the roof and the space doesn't add mass to the building.
