Bloomfield Township Planning Commission Meeting on November 17, 2025

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Transcript

Click any timestamp to jump the video to that moment. Auto-transcribed; expect occasional errors on proper nouns.

1. 0:00

   Let's call this meeting to order the November 17th meeting, the Bloomfield Township Planning Commission. In case anybody here is new to us or anybody watching online, just so you know, we're a seven-member body. We're appointed by the Bloomfield Township Board of Trustees as per the Michigan Zoning Enabling Act. We are a recommending body to the Board of Trustees. Whatever decisions we make here tonight are not binding decisions. They're then passed on to the Board of Trustees that makes the final decision. So you'll always have an opportunity to go further to the next level to say what you have to say. Tonight's agenda, we have two items, two public hearings, a site plan review, 4303 Woodward Avenue Mobile Gas Station, and then a site plan review, 42931 Woodward Avenue, Western Market. I just want to recognize our sound supervisor, Mike McCready, is here with us tonight. Thanks for joining us. We have a full board here. We have a quorum so we can take care of business. And the first item would be approval of the minutes from the previous meeting. We'll have an opportunity to read them, I think. Have you online? Yes. Make a motion we approve. Moved. I'll support that. Moved and seconded. All those in favor? Aye. Any opposed? All right. The first thing we always do now is have public comment from anybody out here. The first thing we do, I hope you have to prepare for a minute. to speak on any subject that involves the Planning Commission except those two that are on the agenda because that you'll have opportunity when that comes up but if there's anybody here would like to have anything say anything about anything that's not on this now's the time okay I don't see anybody jumping forward so we're gonna move on to the first item site plan review liquor license application for the mobile gas station at 43003 Woodward Avenue Cory I guess you that you're up thank you very much so our first case today is adding a liquor license to the existing mobile at 43003 Woodward this was approved by this body recently within the last year or actually 2022 sorry so the zoning is B3 is located at this intersection is at the northwest corner of Square Lake and Woodward Avenue it's adjacent to office zoning and B2 to the north to the south

2. 1:15

   We'll have an opportunity to read them, I think. Have you online? Yes. Make a motion we approve. Moved. I'll support that. Moved and seconded. All those in favor? Aye. Any opposed? All right. The first thing we always do now is have public comment from anybody out here. The first thing we do, I hope you have to prepare for a minute. to speak on any subject that involves the Planning Commission except those two that are on the agenda because that you'll have opportunity when that comes up but if there's anybody here would like to have anything say anything about anything that's not on this now's the time okay I don't see anybody jumping forward so we're gonna move on to the first item site plan review liquor license application for the mobile gas station at 43003 Woodward Avenue Cory I guess you that you're up thank you very much so our first case today is adding a liquor license to the existing mobile at 43003 Woodward this was approved by this body recently within the last year or actually 2022 sorry so the zoning is B3 is located at this intersection is at the northwest corner of Square Lake and Woodward Avenue it's adjacent to office zoning and B2 to the north to the south is further commercial the nearest residents would be all the way across Woodward and behind the nearest commercial development and this is where it sits within our aerial of the township so you can see it's developed consistently with our zoning map commercial along Woodward Avenue some office behind and the nearest residents is all the way across Woodward Avenue so these are the site plans I'm not going to go too in-depth on the site plans because they're not proposing any alterations from what this board already approved They are just coming through this process seeking to add liquor sales to the site. So we do have specific requirements for adding liquor sales to gas stations, so I'll run through those to demonstrate that they do meet all of them. So first off, they're not selling alcohol within five feet of any fuel dispensing. There's no drive-through on this property. The building in which the alcohol sales will occur is 3,780 square feet. It has to be more than 2,000. They're providing adequate parking. They're fronting on a major thoroughfare. There's no commercial auto maintenance occurring on site, no kind of auto care. It does not directly abut any residential zoning. The nearest school that I could find was the Franklin Christian Preschool,

3. 2:30

   Woodward Avenue it's adjacent to office zoning and B2 to the north to the south is further commercial the nearest residents would be all the way across Woodward and behind the nearest commercial development and this is where it sits within our aerial of the township so you can see it's developed consistently with our zoning map commercial along Woodward Avenue some office behind and the nearest residents is all the way across Woodward Avenue so these are the site plans I'm not going to go too in-depth on the site plans because they're not proposing any alterations from what this board already approved They are just coming through this process seeking to add liquor sales to the site. So we do have specific requirements for adding liquor sales to gas stations, so I'll run through those to demonstrate that they do meet all of them. So first off, they're not selling alcohol within five feet of any fuel dispensing. There's no drive-through on this property. The building in which the alcohol sales will occur is 3,780 square feet. It has to be more than 2,000. They're providing adequate parking. They're fronting on a major thoroughfare. There's no commercial auto maintenance occurring on site, no kind of auto care. It does not directly abut any residential zoning. The nearest school that I could find was the Franklin Christian Preschool, which is 0.5 miles away, more than 750 feet. And I believe that meets everything. So with that, the zoning is appropriate. The use is permitted at this location by special land use, which is why they're coming through today as a site plan. They meet all our requirements for alcohol sales. Are there any questions for me? Yes, sir. I just wanted to add. So I reviewed the minutes from the last time you guys reviewed a case like this. It was the shell. There was a lot of discussion about the signage. They were proposing a sign that said liquor. This applicant has not put forward any signage requests, so there won't be liquor disp... on the building as of now that's all when was the ordinance language promulgated and passed i can answer that question it was i don't know the exact date but it was i believe it was november of 2024 it was end of last year sort of in response to the applicant that was the first one to come in right well there was yeah this is the second applicant this is the second correct the first one's at maple and telegraph right and the rules were sort of set up after his prior to his application

4. 3:45

   The nearest school that I could find was the Franklin Christian Preschool, which is 0.5 miles away, more than 750 feet. And I believe that meets everything. So with that, the zoning is appropriate. The use is permitted at this location by special land use, which is why they're coming through today as a site plan. They meet all our requirements for alcohol sales. Are there any questions for me? Yes, sir. I just wanted to add. So I reviewed the minutes from the last time you guys reviewed a case like this. It was the shell. There was a lot of discussion about the signage. They were proposing a sign that said liquor. This applicant has not put forward any signage requests, so there won't be liquor disp... on the building as of now that's all when was the ordinance language promulgated and passed i can answer that question it was i don't know the exact date but it was i believe it was november of 2024 it was end of last year sort of in response to the applicant that was the first one to come in right well there was yeah this is the second applicant this is the second correct the first one's at maple and telegraph right and the rules were sort of set up after his prior to his application in response to his correct yeah and so prior to that the township had no allowance for liquor at gas stations well i would say we had an ordinance that would have permitted under certain conditions however that ordinance was revisited at that time is when we amended it because we did not have any gas stations that had met that criteria so to answer your question it was permitted under certain circumstances but yet no application would had ever been reviewed under that old language so i don't want to say never ever but the new ordinance has allowed now the opportunity for stations that meet this new criteria to now be eligible okay that's a nice workaround prior to 2024 there were no liquor stores and gas stations correct thank you and i will that when the board was presented with this because it certainly came through the Planning Commission I know the board definitely had a lot of issues and addressed these issues very seriously and it came back to the board twice and

5. 5:00

   one's at maple and telegraph right and the rules were sort of set up after his prior to his application in response to his correct yeah and so prior to that the township had no allowance for liquor at gas stations well i would say we had an ordinance that would have permitted under certain conditions however that ordinance was revisited at that time is when we amended it because we did not have any gas stations that had met that criteria so to answer your question it was permitted under certain circumstances but yet no application would had ever been reviewed under that old language so i don't want to say never ever but the new ordinance has allowed now the opportunity for stations that meet this new criteria to now be eligible okay that's a nice workaround prior to 2024 there were no liquor stores and gas stations correct thank you and i will that when the board was presented with this because it certainly came through the Planning Commission I know the board definitely had a lot of issues and addressed these issues very seriously and it came back to the board twice and we made some very stills rather strict criteria that had to be met in order for gas stations to sell liquor so all liquor all gas stations cannot sell liquor so it's a very limited criteria and there's very few gas stations that really meet the criteria I know that the previous applicant of our bats at the Shell station on Telegraph and Maple really did the heavy lip lifting on this in order to get this to the point where the Township would accept and come up with the criteria that works well acceptable to the board so certainly this applicant meets that criteria I just want to make it clear to anybody watching that this is packaged liquor sales that's bottled or packaged not by the drink not a bar correct okay just to be clear make sure everybody understands that okay any other comments any questions questions then perhaps who who's the comments any questions you can ask you any questions that you can leave for me

6. 6:15

   addressed these issues very seriously and it came back to the board twice and we made some very stills rather strict criteria that had to be met in order for gas stations to sell liquor so all liquor all gas stations cannot sell liquor so it's a very limited criteria and there's very few gas stations that really meet the criteria I know that the previous applicant of our bats at the Shell station on Telegraph and Maple really did the heavy lip lifting on this in order to get this to the point where the Township would accept and come up with the criteria that works well acceptable to the board so certainly this applicant meets that criteria I just want to make it clear to anybody watching that this is packaged liquor sales that's bottled or packaged not by the drink not a bar correct okay just to be clear make sure everybody understands that okay any other comments any questions questions then perhaps who who's the comments any questions you can ask you any questions that you can leave for me Okay, if you'd like to make a presentation or tell us anything you'd like to tell us, it's your turn. Be my guest. Just go up to the podium. Just tell who you are, and then whatever you want to say. Hi, my name is John Gaffari. My real name is Sejan, just to go on the record, but I go by John. You did a wonderful job presenting our case, and I believe we meet every criteria the township has for selling packaged liquor, and as you can see, it's a brand-new location. It took forever to be built. Finally, we're in operational, and we're hoping to accept our application and approve it to help and enhance our business and the area as well. Thank you. Thank you very much. All right, then it comes back to the board, the commission. Public? Right. Well, first, before that, anybody have any questions for the petitioner? I have one question. I know the answer to the question, but I don't know if everyone here does. Can you talk about your experience at some of your other stations in selling packaged liquor?

7. 7:30

   Okay, if you'd like to make a presentation or tell us anything you'd like to tell us, it's your turn. Be my guest. Just go up to the podium. Just tell who you are, and then whatever you want to say. Hi, my name is John Gaffari. My real name is Sejan, just to go on the record, but I go by John. You did a wonderful job presenting our case, and I believe we meet every criteria the township has for selling packaged liquor, and as you can see, it's a brand-new location. It took forever to be built. Finally, we're in operational, and we're hoping to accept our application and approve it to help and enhance our business and the area as well. Thank you. Thank you very much. All right, then it comes back to the board, the commission. Public? Right. Well, first, before that, anybody have any questions for the petitioner? I have one question. I know the answer to the question, but I don't know if everyone here does. Can you talk about your experience at some of your other stations in selling packaged liquor? Yes. I own a mobile Tim Horton station in Birmingham at the entrance of Birmingham, Old Woodward and New Woodward. We've been in the business. I know where we are. never..... selling alcohol since 2013 so it's been 12 years we have a very good experience with it and I believe we established very strong relationship with the liquor commission control as far citations and problem or selling alcohol to minor we take it very seriously we got one ticket right after we opened until we improved our equipment and right now pretty much anybody looks under age of 40 and I believe you qualify for that criteria we have to scan your driver license to make sure you're over 21 you meet that criteria under 40 not over 40 so we're very strict on that and we take it very seriously and our next location in Auburn Hills and I believe we added alcohol late last year we used to have beer and wine before but as far full-blown liquor

8. 8:45

   Can you talk about your experience at some of your other stations in selling packaged liquor? Yes. I own a mobile Tim Horton station in Birmingham at the entrance of Birmingham, Old Woodward and New Woodward. We've been in the business. I know where we are. never..... selling alcohol since 2013 so it's been 12 years we have a very good experience with it and I believe we established very strong relationship with the liquor commission control as far citations and problem or selling alcohol to minor we take it very seriously we got one ticket right after we opened until we improved our equipment and right now pretty much anybody looks under age of 40 and I believe you qualify for that criteria we have to scan your driver license to make sure you're over 21 you meet that criteria under 40 not over 40 so we're very strict on that and we take it very seriously and our next location in Auburn Hills and I believe we added alcohol late last year we used to have beer and wine before but as far full-blown liquor license we bought our liquor license last year and knock on wood also no issues none whatsoever as far selling alcohol to minors thank you thank you you're very welcome I have a question yeah in general you can't consume any liquor on the premises in other words they can't get in the car not drive but get in the car and start drinking well you can't have open liquor okay okay anybody here would like to speak to this public comment now's the time okay then we're gonna bring it back to the Commission Planning Board Commission and what's your pleasure I'll make a motion that we send this on to the board with a positive recommendation based on the criteria that's been presented it's been moved is there a second second okay any discussion on the motion well I'll just go on record I'm against it I missed the meeting for the

9. 10:00

   we added alcohol late last year we used to have beer and wine before but as far full-blown liquor license we bought our liquor license last year and knock on wood also no issues none whatsoever as far selling alcohol to minors thank you thank you you're very welcome I have a question yeah in general you can't consume any liquor on the premises in other words they can't get in the car not drive but get in the car and start drinking well you can't have open liquor okay okay anybody here would like to speak to this public comment now's the time okay then we're gonna bring it back to the Commission Planning Board Commission and what's your pleasure I'll make a motion that we send this on to the board with a positive recommendation based on the criteria that's been presented it's been moved is there a second second okay any discussion on the motion well I'll just go on record I'm against it I missed the meeting for the show station I would have been against that and it's not because I don't enjoy alcohol and I certainly have the most respect for mr. Kefari and his company and his long years of tremendous business in the community it's just because I'm against more access there's enough places to get liquor I don't think they need a gas station so okay then should we take a roll call or no we don't know that we have let's do it okay I'd like just call for a vote all those in favor of the motion say aye aye aye opposed no so it carries okay so motion carries six to one one negative the rest positive okay thank you very very much thank you next item on the agenda is oh west there it is yeah western market western market 42 931 woodward avenue okay corey again thank you so our next case is a repurposing of the former rite aid into a western market essentially a grocery store they're coming through as retail package sales similarly because

10. 11:15

    motion well I'll just go on record I'm against it I missed the meeting for the show station I would have been against that and it's not because I don't enjoy alcohol and I certainly have the most respect for mr. Kefari and his company and his long years of tremendous business in the community it's just because I'm against more access there's enough places to get liquor I don't think they need a gas station so okay then should we take a roll call or no we don't know that we have let's do it okay I'd like just call for a vote all those in favor of the motion say aye aye aye opposed no so it carries okay so motion carries six to one one negative the rest positive okay thank you very very much thank you next item on the agenda is oh west there it is yeah western market western market 42 931 woodward avenue okay corey again thank you so our next case is a repurposing of the former rite aid into a western market essentially a grocery store they're coming through as retail package sales similarly because they will be providing beer and wine service on site in the future they may add liquor but currently beer and wine so this is where they sit within our township same intersection we were just discussing but now we're on the south side so on that southwest side in that strip mall you can see there's residential to the rear it's well buffered from that residential there's a screening wall there's further residential across woodward but mostly it's a commercial corridor and this is our aerial map which just confirms what i just told you and then moving on to the site plans so most of the work that they're proposing is internal there's really just going to be some minor adjustments to the exterior which i will go over so firstly they're proposing to keep the parking layout exactly the same from a zoning perspective we consider this change in use to be same for same it's going from retail rite aid retail grocery store no change is needed from parking so they're grandfathered you you you you In terms of design, they're going to be making some upgrades to the actual building itself. So you can kind of see in these renderings, the windows along the side will be expanded to create a more visually appealing facade. There will also be exterior decorative lights provided on that side.

11. 12:30

    market essentially a grocery store they're coming through as retail package sales similarly because they will be providing beer and wine service on site in the future they may add liquor but currently beer and wine so this is where they sit within our township same intersection we were just discussing but now we're on the south side so on that southwest side in that strip mall you can see there's residential to the rear it's well buffered from that residential there's a screening wall there's further residential across woodward but mostly it's a commercial corridor and this is our aerial map which just confirms what i just told you and then moving on to the site plans so most of the work that they're proposing is internal there's really just going to be some minor adjustments to the exterior which i will go over so firstly they're proposing to keep the parking layout exactly the same from a zoning perspective we consider this change in use to be same for same it's going from retail rite aid retail grocery store no change is needed from parking so they're grandfathered you you you you In terms of design, they're going to be making some upgrades to the actual building itself. So you can kind of see in these renderings, the windows along the side will be expanded to create a more visually appealing facade. There will also be exterior decorative lights provided on that side. Furthermore, they're going to be adding an outdoor display area. This appears to be a big part of their business plan to attract customers in. So they're going to be expanding that pavement area a little bit, adding in some space for outdoor display of goods in the fall and spring. And then I believe in the wintertime, it will just be very minimal, like salt, that kind of stuff. But for that, they will have to come back later for a design review board application. That's actually considered a special event. So that will be reviewed by the design review board closer to when they're opening up. And then it will be something that they can apply for first year, and then the second year they can get it recurring. In addition to those changes, they're also proposing to keep their carts here on the side on the existing pavement. So they're not going to be creating any cart islands in the parking lot itself. Carts will be returned to this wall. There will be signage added to this facade, as you see here, but the signage is not part of this request. They will be coming back later to get their signage approved by the DRB. This is just sort of a placeholder to kind of give you an idea of what it will look like, but they're still finishing up what they actually want the design to appear as. I'm just going to skip past this real quick, and then I wanted to talk about the rear of the property. There will be signage coming up. There will be signage. Let's do it.

12. 13:45

    There will also be exterior decorative lights provided on that side. Furthermore, they're going to be adding an outdoor display area. This appears to be a big part of their business plan to attract customers in. So they're going to be expanding that pavement area a little bit, adding in some space for outdoor display of goods in the fall and spring. And then I believe in the wintertime, it will just be very minimal, like salt, that kind of stuff. But for that, they will have to come back later for a design review board application. That's actually considered a special event. So that will be reviewed by the design review board closer to when they're opening up. And then it will be something that they can apply for first year, and then the second year they can get it recurring. In addition to those changes, they're also proposing to keep their carts here on the side on the existing pavement. So they're not going to be creating any cart islands in the parking lot itself. Carts will be returned to this wall. There will be signage added to this facade, as you see here, but the signage is not part of this request. They will be coming back later to get their signage approved by the DRB. This is just sort of a placeholder to kind of give you an idea of what it will look like, but they're still finishing up what they actually want the design to appear as. I'm just going to skip past this real quick, and then I wanted to talk about the rear of the property. There will be signage coming up. There will be signage. Let's do it. So you can see here there's this sort of ramp, it's unattractive. They're proposing to remove that kind of ugly worn down ramp area and they're going to have a new loading area. So there's actually going to be, it's not a truck well, the trucks will back up right to it and then there'll be a raised platform where employees can load and unload. It'll also be sheltered from the elements. But in general, the back will be cleaned up significantly. And then this is how the facade appears currently. They're going to be removing those awnings to make it look consistent with the renderings I showed you earlier. I'm trying to think. I think that's pretty much it. The proposed use is consistent with the zoning district. The existing building footprint is not changing, so they're not required to come into compliance with current setbacks, but they already do. I think that's about it. Let me just run through this real quick. They're going to be adding two new ginkgo trees to the front display area. I don't think they show up in the renderings, but they are in the site plans. So they're proposing them. I don't have a laser pointer, but it's going to be in that display area. And otherwise, that's it for my presentation. All right, thank you. All right, anybody have any questions? For the applicant. Sorry? For the applicant.

13. 15:00

    So you can see here there's this sort of ramp, it's unattractive. They're proposing to remove that kind of ugly worn down ramp area and they're going to have a new loading area. So there's actually going to be, it's not a truck well, the trucks will back up right to it and then there'll be a raised platform where employees can load and unload. It'll also be sheltered from the elements. But in general, the back will be cleaned up significantly. And then this is how the facade appears currently. They're going to be removing those awnings to make it look consistent with the renderings I showed you earlier. I'm trying to think. I think that's pretty much it. The proposed use is consistent with the zoning district. The existing building footprint is not changing, so they're not required to come into compliance with current setbacks, but they already do. I think that's about it. Let me just run through this real quick. They're going to be adding two new ginkgo trees to the front display area. I don't think they show up in the renderings, but they are in the site plans. So they're proposing them. I don't have a laser pointer, but it's going to be in that display area. And otherwise, that's it for my presentation. All right, thank you. All right, anybody have any questions? For the applicant. Sorry? For the applicant. Well, I'm thinking about you have a question for Corey. I have a question. Yeah. You mentioned coming back to the design review board, not for the signage, but for something else. So I missed what that was for. For the exterior display of goods. So that's considered an event. Yeah. Thank you. So they would have to get that display approved and when we do that review what we're checking for is like we'll route it to fire and other departments to make sure that the store remains accessible even for those in wheelchairs or other. So does that mean they're going to do that let's say every spring they want to put flowers and then they want to put watermelons and they want to they have to do it every season? So the first season they do then the second season they come back and if everything went well the board at that point could then make it a long-term approval. I got you. And then the other question I had is I'm pretty sure I know the answer but since they're going to have beer and wine and possibly liquor but Rite Aid had a beer and wine license, had an SDD and an SDM, correct? I believe so. I'm not sure. Both. That's correct. Okay. So right now they're proposing less than what Rite Aid had and if they ever add liquor it'll be no different than when Rite Aid was there. Yes. Correct. And if they do want to come back and get the, if they want to come back and get the liquor license that would be an application to the clerk's office.

14. 16:15

    Well, I'm thinking about you have a question for Corey. I have a question. Yeah. You mentioned coming back to the design review board, not for the signage, but for something else. So I missed what that was for. For the exterior display of goods. So that's considered an event. Yeah. Thank you. So they would have to get that display approved and when we do that review what we're checking for is like we'll route it to fire and other departments to make sure that the store remains accessible even for those in wheelchairs or other. So does that mean they're going to do that let's say every spring they want to put flowers and then they want to put watermelons and they want to they have to do it every season? So the first season they do then the second season they come back and if everything went well the board at that point could then make it a long-term approval. I got you. And then the other question I had is I'm pretty sure I know the answer but since they're going to have beer and wine and possibly liquor but Rite Aid had a beer and wine license, had an SDD and an SDM, correct? I believe so. I'm not sure. Both. That's correct. Okay. So right now they're proposing less than what Rite Aid had and if they ever add liquor it'll be no different than when Rite Aid was there. Yes. Correct. And if they do want to come back and get the, if they want to come back and get the liquor license that would be an application to the clerk's office. They don't have to come back before you. The exact same thing happened when you know Savagio's was approved. They came with their SDM and came back later for their SDD but that won't have to come back to you. So this is just being looked at as a retail package outlet. That's the special land use aspect of it. Anybody else? Yes. Just a clarification. This was where the Rite Aid was. was yes okay and so just in terms of the pedestrian type traffic that may be attracted now and this out exterior type of market adequate parking yep from a parking perspective we consider it same for same because the former retail or sorry Rite Aid was able to operate there without parking concerns yeah and they actually lowered some of their parking demand over the years and they took out there used to be a restaurant at the ferry are very far end which is now urgent care and I also want to note too if you look at the site plan this is all consistent this is all one site so the parking that would be located adjacent to it on the next to the other commercial building would also be available for

15. 17:30

    Yes. Correct. And if they do want to come back and get the, if they want to come back and get the liquor license that would be an application to the clerk's office. They don't have to come back before you. The exact same thing happened when you know Savagio's was approved. They came with their SDM and came back later for their SDD but that won't have to come back to you. So this is just being looked at as a retail package outlet. That's the special land use aspect of it. Anybody else? Yes. Just a clarification. This was where the Rite Aid was. was yes okay and so just in terms of the pedestrian type traffic that may be attracted now and this out exterior type of market adequate parking yep from a parking perspective we consider it same for same because the former retail or sorry Rite Aid was able to operate there without parking concerns yeah and they actually lowered some of their parking demand over the years and they took out there used to be a restaurant at the ferry are very far end which is now urgent care and I also want to note too if you look at the site plan this is all consistent this is all one site so the parking that would be located adjacent to it on the next to the other commercial building would also be available for parking okay anybody else all right the applicant if you'd like to have a few words sorry is this a public hearing yeah well they have to eat all that the public talk after he finishes glad to proceed I my name is a Steve Savagio and partners with my son Steven Savagio and we're we are tenants in this building and the Jonah family is the landlords they've been very gracious with us working with us to get this thing up off the ground we're very excited about it we've been around since 1983 I opened up what Western Market in downtown Ferndale have been there for 43 or 42 years and it seems like it was yesterday. Time's really flying by as I'm aging here. But the project itself is meant to be a smaller format grocery store, different than the Nino Sauvaggio on Telegraph, different than the Meijer or the Kroger. It's kind of in and out, but with a highly curated set. And on the liquor issue, just to be clear, we're currently working on getting the liquor license. We're working with Kelly Allen, the attorney. She does a lot of work around. She's very good. And we're in the process of getting that liquor license.

16. 18:45

    it on the next to the other commercial building would also be available for parking okay anybody else all right the applicant if you'd like to have a few words sorry is this a public hearing yeah well they have to eat all that the public talk after he finishes glad to proceed I my name is a Steve Savagio and partners with my son Steven Savagio and we're we are tenants in this building and the Jonah family is the landlords they've been very gracious with us working with us to get this thing up off the ground we're very excited about it we've been around since 1983 I opened up what Western Market in downtown Ferndale have been there for 43 or 42 years and it seems like it was yesterday. Time's really flying by as I'm aging here. But the project itself is meant to be a smaller format grocery store, different than the Nino Sauvaggio on Telegraph, different than the Meijer or the Kroger. It's kind of in and out, but with a highly curated set. And on the liquor issue, just to be clear, we're currently working on getting the liquor license. We're working with Kelly Allen, the attorney. She does a lot of work around. She's very good. And we're in the process of getting that liquor license. We have it in our plans. If it doesn't come right away, it will be at a later date, and we'll figure out what to do with the shelving unit and whatnot. If it doesn't come, we have pivoted for 42 years. We will continue to pivot through the future. We're very excited about being in Bloomfield Township, and we hope that you approve our plans. Thank you. All right, anybody in the queue? Yes. I'm excited also to have you in Bloomfield Township. It's a great location, certainly a need for it in that location, and I think it would be a great addition to the township. I just had one question about the shopping carts. So are they going to be along the building? Yes. Along the side of the building, they'll be covered with a covered – I don't get the right term. It's like a polycarbonate top with a frame so the carts can fit within it, but they'll be covered so they'll keep them from the weather. The reason why they're not inside the store is limited room, super limited room. Unfortunately, I think the two types of things have been used to be in the building. I don't know. I got it. As far as the, similar to Trader Joe's where they have it outside. Almost exactly the same. Are you going to have the brick wall like Trader Joe does? So these will be up against the brick wall.

17. 20:00

    And we're in the process of getting that liquor license. We have it in our plans. If it doesn't come right away, it will be at a later date, and we'll figure out what to do with the shelving unit and whatnot. If it doesn't come, we have pivoted for 42 years. We will continue to pivot through the future. We're very excited about being in Bloomfield Township, and we hope that you approve our plans. Thank you. All right, anybody in the queue? Yes. I'm excited also to have you in Bloomfield Township. It's a great location, certainly a need for it in that location, and I think it would be a great addition to the township. I just had one question about the shopping carts. So are they going to be along the building? Yes. Along the side of the building, they'll be covered with a covered – I don't get the right term. It's like a polycarbonate top with a frame so the carts can fit within it, but they'll be covered so they'll keep them from the weather. The reason why they're not inside the store is limited room, super limited room. Unfortunately, I think the two types of things have been used to be in the building. I don't know. I got it. As far as the, similar to Trader Joe's where they have it outside. Almost exactly the same. Are you going to have the brick wall like Trader Joe does? So these will be up against the brick wall. You'll have a frame. It's basically a steel tube frame with a clear polycarbonate top. So it's an attractive cart holder. It complements the building. Let me be clear. Are you going to have a brick wall to put? On the outer side. Yes. It's within a metal frame. So the frame will keep the cart from meandering. Okay. Personally, I would like to see a brick wall that encloses. Like a half wall? Yeah, similar to Trader Joe's. I'll have to look at the site because I'm not exactly familiar. I've driven by a hundred times but maybe never paid attention to it. Yeah, why don't you take a look at that? It's something that we required Trader Joe's to do with the outside cards, remember? Yes. So it's on telegraph just at Maple, correct? Correct. Yeah. And it certainly helps it fit in the shopping center much better as it will with the Jonas property and it certainly is much more attractive in fitting in with the township more. So I'm not opposed. I think it's a good idea. I'll have to figure out what to do with the top. We want to cover the top. Sure. We'll talk to the people who craft them to see how we can incorporate that in with the wall. Okay. Why don't you work with our department then prior...

18. 21:15

    You'll have a frame. It's basically a steel tube frame with a clear polycarbonate top. So it's an attractive cart holder. It complements the building. Let me be clear. Are you going to have a brick wall to put? On the outer side. Yes. It's within a metal frame. So the frame will keep the cart from meandering. Okay. Personally, I would like to see a brick wall that encloses. Like a half wall? Yeah, similar to Trader Joe's. I'll have to look at the site because I'm not exactly familiar. I've driven by a hundred times but maybe never paid attention to it. Yeah, why don't you take a look at that? It's something that we required Trader Joe's to do with the outside cards, remember? Yes. So it's on telegraph just at Maple, correct? Correct. Yeah. And it certainly helps it fit in the shopping center much better as it will with the Jonas property and it certainly is much more attractive in fitting in with the township more. So I'm not opposed. I think it's a good idea. I'll have to figure out what to do with the top. We want to cover the top. Sure. We'll talk to the people who craft them to see how we can incorporate that in with the wall. Okay. Why don't you work with our department then prior... to taking this before the township board and then we could have this resolved when you go to the township board sounds like a plan I understand I think it would be a much more favorable response if you have that when it comes to the township board so our architects with us here tonight so he's very good at taking mental notes because I'll tell him something and he's I've got it sure enough he does so okay okay thank you okay any other questions no that was excellent sorry that was an excellent point okay yeah public comment open up now for public comment on this subject and I don't see anybody jumping up so we'll just move on bring it back here and do the same same drill just any discussion or whatever you want just one comment I I'm very familiar with Ferndale actually built the store for the prior owner before you know I just heard that tonight you look real familiar like I see I've seen you around a lot I know I know how long you've been there and everybody in the area loves the store and they love your operation and it's it's going to be fantastic to have you in the town and I do want to speak a little bit about the outdoors so everybody understands the outdoor is done in a very tasteful way we've cut back from what we do in Ferndale for now we have a we own the building in Ferndale we have a

19. 22:30

    to taking this before the township board and then we could have this resolved when you go to the township board sounds like a plan I understand I think it would be a much more favorable response if you have that when it comes to the township board so our architects with us here tonight so he's very good at taking mental notes because I'll tell him something and he's I've got it sure enough he does so okay okay thank you okay any other questions no that was excellent sorry that was an excellent point okay yeah public comment open up now for public comment on this subject and I don't see anybody jumping up so we'll just move on bring it back here and do the same same drill just any discussion or whatever you want just one comment I I'm very familiar with Ferndale actually built the store for the prior owner before you know I just heard that tonight you look real familiar like I see I've seen you around a lot I know I know how long you've been there and everybody in the area loves the store and they love your operation and it's it's going to be fantastic to have you in the town and I do want to speak a little bit about the outdoors so everybody understands the outdoor is done in a very tasteful way we've cut back from what we do in Ferndale for now we have a we own the building in Ferndale we have a pretty big spread it makes it look like something's going on at the store and people are very interested when we in the spring when we start to put things out and as we continue through the summer and whatnot you have to pull back it was too hot for product but most time we keep things under control with like umbrellas to shade it and we don't get real wild with the sub outside because we want to keep stuff in good condition but I appreciate that the nice build job at Western market we're there 40 some years later and we have remodeled it a few times but the initial was was great Corey do you want to just mention the decorative element of the architectural of the illuminated pier that's kind of a decorative element yep so there's a new pillar they're adding is here kind of in black in the middle okay thank you so this won't remain black it's actually going to be covered in little LED lights and it makes a light column it's kind of a decorative element to attract the eye so basically a sign but it's not a sign it's just illuminated so you come up and it has a nice glow to the foyer and then on the side there's a long LED fixture they're skinny but long and originally we were with the firm I don't know the firm Ron and Roman design firm if you can come back to the microphone maybe oh I'm sorry

20. 23:45

    we do in Ferndale for now we have a we own the building in Ferndale we have a pretty big spread it makes it look like something's going on at the store and people are very interested when we in the spring when we start to put things out and as we continue through the summer and whatnot you have to pull back it was too hot for product but most time we keep things under control with like umbrellas to shade it and we don't get real wild with the sub outside because we want to keep stuff in good condition but I appreciate that the nice build job at Western market we're there 40 some years later and we have remodeled it a few times but the initial was was great Corey do you want to just mention the decorative element of the architectural of the illuminated pier that's kind of a decorative element yep so there's a new pillar they're adding is here kind of in black in the middle okay thank you so this won't remain black it's actually going to be covered in little LED lights and it makes a light column it's kind of a decorative element to attract the eye so basically a sign but it's not a sign it's just illuminated so you come up and it has a nice glow to the foyer and then on the side there's a long LED fixture they're skinny but long and originally we were with the firm I don't know the firm Ron and Roman design firm if you can come back to the microphone maybe oh I'm sorry and they proposed a design we liked it but we had during the course of this like the former gentleman so it took forever to build it's taken forever to design as matter of fact our landlord said he's never had a tenant that's taken so long to design but we want to really make sure that we nail the design upfront although the design isn't the whole business as I've been telling my son and the rest our team executions everything so to execute at a very high level is what our full intent is but obviously we want the design to look as part of the execution but it's not the total execution what are the hours of operation anticipated so during the winter we're eight to eight summer time we're eight to nine so we stay open you know until basically sunset seven days a week uh sundays i'm sorry sunday we're eight to eight on i have to refer to my partner eight to seven on sunday eight eight eight so because we had changed hours a couple times we used to close at seven o'clock we've currently updated to eight o'clock to give people time to shop so it's a lot of produce

21. 25:00

    Ron and Roman design firm if you can come back to the microphone maybe oh I'm sorry and they proposed a design we liked it but we had during the course of this like the former gentleman so it took forever to build it's taken forever to design as matter of fact our landlord said he's never had a tenant that's taken so long to design but we want to really make sure that we nail the design upfront although the design isn't the whole business as I've been telling my son and the rest our team executions everything so to execute at a very high level is what our full intent is but obviously we want the design to look as part of the execution but it's not the total execution what are the hours of operation anticipated so during the winter we're eight to eight summer time we're eight to nine so we stay open you know until basically sunset seven days a week uh sundays i'm sorry sunday we're eight to eight on i have to refer to my partner eight to seven on sunday eight eight eight so because we had changed hours a couple times we used to close at seven o'clock we've currently updated to eight o'clock to give people time to shop so it's a lot of produce maybe liquor uh it's a fruit meat and specialty store i would classify the store as a family-run whole food style operation we're not a conventional grocery what i mean by non-conventional we don't carry callous cornflakes and uh heinz ketchup and we carry what we call on the natural brand side and that's what we belong to a association called independent natural food retailers association otherwise known as infra and we we have tried not to compete with the meyer and kroger and costco we try to make our own kind of little store which people really appreciate because the goods that we're bringing in are cleaner than you will see at other stores now are they 100 clean we are striving are they 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we Thank you. for that but you'll if you look close enough at a label you will find an ingredient that maybe doesn't belong but we really try hard to make sure that stuff's coming in it's a higher level of not only quality but ingredients all right welcome okay thank you for your application i think it's a nice compliment to that corner and the area in general i think he's great i agree all right what do you want to do make a motion that positive uh recommendation to the township board and with

22. 26:15

    maybe liquor uh it's a fruit meat and specialty store i would classify the store as a family-run whole food style operation we're not a conventional grocery what i mean by non-conventional we don't carry callous cornflakes and uh heinz ketchup and we carry what we call on the natural brand side and that's what we belong to a association called independent natural food retailers association otherwise known as infra and we we have tried not to compete with the meyer and kroger and costco we try to make our own kind of little store which people really appreciate because the goods that we're bringing in are cleaner than you will see at other stores now are they 100 clean we are striving are they 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we are 100 clean we Thank you. for that but you'll if you look close enough at a label you will find an ingredient that maybe doesn't belong but we really try hard to make sure that stuff's coming in it's a higher level of not only quality but ingredients all right welcome okay thank you for your application i think it's a nice compliment to that corner and the area in general i think he's great i agree all right what do you want to do make a motion that positive uh recommendation to the township board and with the additional condition of of the applicant coming working with the uh planning and building department for a brick wall on the exterior of the shopping carts would they apply that to exceed the height of the carts um it's basically we have criteria already within the uh the township so whatever we required for yeah we do have some policies that we adopted at that time so we can review those policies and make sure that this adheres to that okay thank you so what i'll do is i'll get the uh the policy from your department send it to imad and then we'll we'll work it into the the construction we have a motion on the floor so we need a second it's second now any discussion on that motion okay then we'll call for a vote all those in favor say aye aye aye any opposed okay thank you thank you very much good luck great project thank you thank you thank you good job all right that's the uh the meat of the meat the meat of the meeting now okay items not on the agenda thank you thank you anybody have anything you want to bring up just for future discussion but tonight

23. 27:30

    what do you want to do make a motion that positive uh recommendation to the township board and with the additional condition of of the applicant coming working with the uh planning and building department for a brick wall on the exterior of the shopping carts would they apply that to exceed the height of the carts um it's basically we have criteria already within the uh the township so whatever we required for yeah we do have some policies that we adopted at that time so we can review those policies and make sure that this adheres to that okay thank you so what i'll do is i'll get the uh the policy from your department send it to imad and then we'll we'll work it into the the construction we have a motion on the floor so we need a second it's second now any discussion on that motion okay then we'll call for a vote all those in favor say aye aye aye any opposed okay thank you thank you very much good luck great project thank you thank you thank you good job all right that's the uh the meat of the meat the meat of the meeting now okay items not on the agenda thank you thank you anybody have anything you want to bring up just for future discussion but tonight something to bring up yes so I know when we were approving Oakland Hills work one of the things that we were very focused on was the landscaping and fencing I thought their execution was outstanding but the service building is not concealed as well as I thought it was can I address that please because I've addressed it with them spoken to the incoming president and they're well aware of the issues and they will be they had three or four trees that were they had to remove that were deceased so they were placing those and then also in the gas tanks they will be screening that they're waiting they had to take down the original greens building before they could get to that so it will be their intention is to make sure it meets all the requirements that we had for them I knew we were both focused on oh yes we were and we still are I'm gonna be watching and so am I I walk in every day all the imagination instead of just putting

24. 28:45

    anybody have anything you want to bring up just for future discussion but tonight something to bring up yes so I know when we were approving Oakland Hills work one of the things that we were very focused on was the landscaping and fencing I thought their execution was outstanding but the service building is not concealed as well as I thought it was can I address that please because I've addressed it with them spoken to the incoming president and they're well aware of the issues and they will be they had three or four trees that were they had to remove that were deceased so they were placing those and then also in the gas tanks they will be screening that they're waiting they had to take down the original greens building before they could get to that so it will be their intention is to make sure it meets all the requirements that we had for them I knew we were both focused on oh yes we were and we still are I'm gonna be watching and so am I I walk in every day all the imagination instead of just putting you know christmas tree evergreens yeah you know what i mean it's it's a big space and i've talked to them even about staggering them and as we discussed at the original um meeting that we had variety and some interest they're not finished and it may not be finished till the spring because they have to remove some buildings they're doing some building and but are they going to pull the chain link and the fire and the fire stuff down barbed wire's been removed all the residential areas and a lazer and the fencing and the barbed wire is going to be removed on maple okay just a reminder too they will have to supply on landscape as built that would have to be reviewed by our landscape architects before anything gets finaled out on that project so thank you for bringing that to my attention as well as knowing the update on the discussion and certainly we will we will keep our eye on um all things landscaping so thank you i think it was just really the only main thing that we had influenced and i think they should stand for their word and we i know the the neighborhood has been very satisfied more than satisfied they've done everything that they had stated that they would they took down all the barbed wire

25. 30:00

    you know christmas tree evergreens yeah you know what i mean it's it's a big space and i've talked to them even about staggering them and as we discussed at the original um meeting that we had variety and some interest they're not finished and it may not be finished till the spring because they have to remove some buildings they're doing some building and but are they going to pull the chain link and the fire and the fire stuff down barbed wire's been removed all the residential areas and a lazer and the fencing and the barbed wire is going to be removed on maple okay just a reminder too they will have to supply on landscape as built that would have to be reviewed by our landscape architects before anything gets finaled out on that project so thank you for bringing that to my attention as well as knowing the update on the discussion and certainly we will we will keep our eye on um all things landscaping so thank you i think it was just really the only main thing that we had influenced and i think they should stand for their word and we i know the the neighborhood has been very satisfied more than satisfied they've done everything that they had stated that they would they took down all the barbed wire they took the fence down on oak hills they took the barbed wire down on oakland on lazer they painted the fence on oakland and lazer the dark green the oakland hills green they put an affordable vapor on oakland it's always been a very identify requires furniture I've used to get you've switched the other way before you can get the new works manufacturer uh Ali van limba is shocked and an adult vision for somebody before you know I went to the 隊's say yeah i'm 100%. majors 144.0.4.4.12.овал car fence up on Oak Hills only four feet in the swale that's very attractive so the surrounding neighborhoods very fit more than satisfied and as far as I'm with you a hundred percent and I know Andrea hears about it too but I certainly am in contact with them all the time appreciate that thank you anybody else of anything all right then that concludes business for tonight to adjourn and it's we're adjourned thank you very much