[0:23] We'll call the May 19 ZVA meeting to order. We'll start out with roll call, please. All right. Anderson.

[0:33] Bueno. Here. Perk and off. Here. Bavoclo. Here. McClellan. Here. May.

[0:43] Present. Burke. And Harris Ford is the alternate. It does not appear to be an

[0:52] I just wanted to share with the ZBA on the record that both Burke and Anderson unfortunately have had one is a double booking with the meeting and other one is a personal emergency.

[1:03] So they just asked to be excused for this month.

[1:08] Any official communications?

[1:10] I have no official communications tonight.

[1:14] And does anybody have any issue with the agenda?

[1:19] And if not, can we get a motion to approve?

[1:23] So moved.

[1:25] So we've got a motion from McClellan support from Boino, all those in favor say aye.

[1:31] Aye.

[1:32] Aye.

[1:33] Aye.

[1:35] And on to special presentations.

[1:39] And just for the record, we will have minutes at next month's meeting, so we have no special

[1:44] presentations for tonight other than the public hearings that exist.

[1:51] On to first public hearing, I'll hand it over to administration.

[1:55] Sounds good.

[1:56] So this is case, actually, give me a second, I'm going to make it easier to see I'm going to turn the light on.

[2:20] So this is variance case, ZBA, 24-00, it actually should be four, not six.

[2:28] The applicant is Rossick, Jolakia, okay, from the International Swaminarian Church, if that is an appropriate term.

[2:39] And it's at 1517, Jocelyn Avenue, which is at the corner of Jocelyn, in Northfield.

[2:43] And there are two variances tonight to allow them to build a pedestrian canopy between

[2:49] the building and the parking lot.

[2:52] So this is the location of the property.

[2:57] You can see the church is really essentially at the corner.

[3:01] One of the most different things about this site though is the sidewalk that is along North

[3:06] Field is a private sidewalk owned by the property owner who is the applicant tonight.

[3:11] So this is not a public sidewalk and it really allows the church to or religious institution to be able to

[3:22] circumnavigate the church because many of the entrances some of the are in Northfield,

[3:25] some are in Jocelyn to get around the site to enter to enter the institution.

[3:31] Just for reference tonight, there's a small bit of relevancy here. This is not R1, this is R1B and

[3:38] And if you're not familiar with this, we have R1A and R1B in the city.

[3:42] Most of them are in the periphery of the city where the lot sizes are much larger.

[3:47] So in this area, the zoning district is R1B.

[3:51] When it comes to accessory structures in an R1, you'd only be allowed 800 square feet.

[3:55] This permits 900 square feet.

[3:58] So just a small difference, but I wanted to point that out, that any property owner in an R1B district

[4:05] can have an accessory structure as long as it meets the zoning code, but it needs to,

[4:08] it can be up to 900 square feet, the reason being is these lots are typically a little larger,

[4:14] a little bit more of a suburban footprint than what you might see down closer to downtown here,

[4:19] where the lots are much smaller. So, I mentioned about the property at North

[4:25] Fildon and Jawsland Avenue. The applicant wants to build an accessory structure over the sidewalk

[4:32] walk between the entrance and the parking lot and entrances for that matter.

[4:35] And it is a private sidewalk as we have mentioned.

[4:38] So the applicant provided this, it's in your staff report, basically showing that red

[4:43] outline on where it says 57 feet.

[4:48] So they're looking at a 57 foot canopy, open air canopy that would be constructed in the front

[4:55] yard and then it would also add to the accessory structure size.

[4:59] As you look on the far left of that image up on the screen, there's a little bit of a

[5:04] parsing edge.

[5:05] I think the applicant can speak a little more about how the building is used, but many

[5:08] churches sometimes might have a residential component to it.

[5:12] So it's not atypical to have a building that size.

[5:16] That existing building is 1,100 square feet.

[5:18] And then this would be adding on at, I believe, 464 feet, yep, for the total area.

[5:25] And those, again, makes up the two variances they're seeking, one, to allow it in the front yard and two for the total size.

[5:33] They have provided a concept illustration of what this will look like.

[5:37] As you can see, just it will have posts, as it goes along the sidewalk.

[5:42] And we'll have a pitched roof, which is typical and aligns with structures in residential neighborhoods.

[5:49] And one of the important things is I, this is from Google Street View, I included in your staff report just an image of where this is going to go.

[5:57] So you can have some context of what's going to look like, particularly when it comes to the architecture of the building itself.

[6:05] And this picture just for references from Northfield, the parking lots on the left, and then Jocelyn is on the right.

[6:14] The church has a certificate of occupancy, has been operating for many years.

[6:18] The parking is in the rear along Northfield.

[6:21] The building entrances are located both on Jocelyn and Northfield, meaning visitors from

[6:26] the church have to exit from those two exits and take a sidewalk to the back parking lot.

[6:30] I already mentioned about the total accessory structures that are up there.

[6:36] So the ZBA is considering seven standards of approval.

[6:39] I'm not going to go through each of these items, but the applicant should be familiar with

[6:42] them and address them from the staff report they received last week.

[6:47] I wanted to just state the two standards is the aggregate area of accessory buildings for any

[6:54] lot, should not exceed 15% of the lot area, and for this zoning district should be no more

[7:00] than 900 square feet, whichever is least, and in this case would be 900, and then the second

[7:05] is detached accessory buildings may not be constructed or located in any front or side yard,

[7:09] but may be located in a rear yard.

[7:13] In the analysis, their staff provided a lot of pros and cons.

[7:18] Our goal is to be neutral with this and really to provide some information and perspective

[7:23] for the zone board of appeals.

[7:25] I have summarized just a couple up here just for more as a summary than anything else.

[7:33] But the functionality that can't be in the rear yard would really negate their ability

[7:38] to provide a covered walkway from the principal structure of the parking lot.

[7:41] And what I mean by that is the way this site is aligned with where the building is, where the parking lot is, that is all either front yard or side yard.

[7:51] There, you have to go to the very northwest corner to get a little sliver where there's actually a rear yard by definition.

[7:57] And for that purpose, they wouldn't be able to putting a canopy in a rear yard is not where they want to put a pedestrian canopy.

[8:03] It would be a little difficult to achieve that mission of providing that pedestrian canopy.

[8:08] So, it is very difficult the way the site is laid out with the church in the parking lot to be able to

[8:14] achieve this mission. Now, if they were building a shed, the ZBA could, let me say, hey, you could

[8:19] build a shed in every yard, but a canopy like this may be viewed a little differently.

[8:26] When my presentation's over, you'll get to address. So, this location has operated many years

[8:32] without a covered canopy, and one may find that the property is usable without the need of a canopy.

[8:37] and with the total accessory structure size over 1,500 square feet.

[8:41] And part of this is one of the standards just relating to other properties in the same zoning district.

[8:46] The unique circumstance about this property I do want to point out is that it is a little over two acres.

[8:51] And that is about six to eight times what a typical lot is even for the zoning district.

[8:56] So, you know, and churches are not permitted by right in the zoning district, but

[9:02] they are allowed by special exception.

[9:03] And we have many religious institutions in R1A and R1B zoning districts.

[9:09] And lastly, grading this variance would allow the property developed in a manner that is consistent with the master plan and will not be detrimental to the broader neighborhood.

[9:17] The proposed use and requests that setbacks will not propose the risk of health safety and welfare of Pontiac residents by built by constructing this canopy if it were to be approved.

[9:26] Staff does not provide recommendation, only analysis on variance requests.

[9:30] So if the ZBA felt the applicant requests meets the standards of approval, they may consider approval of the variance.

[9:36] If the ZBA does not fill the applicant's request meets and meets the standards of approval, they may consider denial of the variance and should state which standard has not been met.

[9:45] So I do have the standards up here.

[9:48] The one thing I want to note with this is we will need, because there are two variances, we will need two motions and two votes tonight on this.

[9:54] So for that, that is my presentation this evening.

[9:58] I'd be happy to take any questions you may have, and then the applicant would love to speak as well.

[10:02] And before I get too far, we will be having a public hearing as part of this.

[10:08] The applicant's presentation did include several letters of support from neighbors, so

[10:12] I'm at this time, I'm going to pass that down to the ZBAD.

[10:16] Are there any questions of the administration from the board?

[10:27] And would the applicant like to speak?

[10:32] If you can step to the podium and then press the button on the right, I think, with the little person

[10:39] is.

[10:41] And so I, yeah.

[10:42] Okay.

[10:43] And then if you could just introduce yourself.

[10:45] Sure.

[10:52] So members of the board and fellow citizens on behalf of the Sominara and Temple, I like

[11:03] to share a message of love and peace to you all.

[11:09] So, my name is Reseek Dulakia and I am a volunteer at the temple.

[11:15] I do gardening at the temple and I've been doing for a while.

[11:19] And I also have my fellow volunteer Rajesh Morodia here as well.

[11:27] So basically we are a Hindu temple that serves the community of ISSO for short.

[11:34] We are also integrated with the wider community with charitable work.

[11:38] So we'd like to help the community in Ponyak and also outside.

[11:45] As an example, we do every Sunday, we provide cooked meals to 75 people at the

[11:52] hope shelters. And then we annually, we participate in two to three annual fund

[11:59] for local charities.

[12:03] The main reason to add the canopy structure is that

[12:09] we are actually, a lot of our congregation is aging now.

[12:14] I would say about 60 to 70% are older folks.

[12:18] And these people don't drive vehicles.

[12:20] They actually come on Sundays via our congregation

[12:25] between 4.30 to 8 o'clock or so, they are driven by either by their children, you know, the sons or daughters.

[12:35] And then we also have little kids as well to go with that.

[12:39] So what's happening is they get actually dropped out just as you enter from Northfield into the parking lot and then they use the sidewalk to get in.

[12:50] And, you know, we have issues mainly in the wintery conditions where we have snow and

[12:57] ice formations or, you know, there's been issues with some people that are trying to walk

[13:02] across.

[13:04] But, you know, also during rainy season, like when it rains during summer, I know I've

[13:09] been caught gardening and I wanted to try and get to my car and I had to wait for a long

[13:15] time before the rain subsided before I get dashed across but if you have some shelter

[13:20] at least I can just jump into my car it should be a few paces to go there.

[13:24] So it's really basically that's the main reason why we want it.

[13:30] And then you know we shared the proposal with our neighbors to just to make sure that they

[13:34] were okay with it and we didn't have any objections from them.

[13:39] So I go to the next one.

[13:41] And in the docket, we actually covered all the three main reasons, you know, how we

[13:51] consider it as exceptional circumstances compared to the other neighbors.

[13:56] You know, they are shorter drivers.

[13:57] We are a lot of traffic, food traffic, and, you know, our driveway, our walkways are longer

[14:04] to get into the entrance.

[14:06] Then the enjoyment of substantial property right basically is just the same as it applies

[14:12] to the neighbors, you know, safely, access the property essentially.

[14:18] And then the design is going to be such that it will not stand out.

[14:23] It's going to blend in aesthetically with what is currently there.

[14:28] So, you know, we are not trying to increase the footprint or anything like that, basically

[14:32] We just covered the area that's already there.

[14:37] And I would also like to acknowledge Cory Christianson.

[14:41] I worked with him before he left many times.

[14:45] And he was very, very helpful in helping.

[14:47] And also Mark, you know, coming in at the last minute

[14:50] to try and help us out here.

[14:53] So we went through this one.

[14:54] I just wanted to show you a few pictures

[14:56] of how much, you know, below our gardens there.

[15:00] Every year, you know, there's a lot of enthusiasm in terms of keeping the guns up and tidy the exterior. And actually, it encourages our neighbours too. So, they try to also do a nice job and, you know, they stop up as well. And they kind of say, oh, you know, you are pulling us up there. So, we also need to do that. And, you know, from time to time, we also get the award from the Pontiac City.

[15:29] So that was kind of nice to have that.

[15:32] And finally, just to show you that, you know, this is just a concept, it's not the right size or dimensions.

[15:39] It's just, this is what we are kind of planning, and that's the area that we want to put it up.

[15:46] So that's all I have.

[15:47] I don't know if you have any questions.

[15:50] Any questions?

[15:51] No.

[15:53] Actually, I don't have a question.

[15:56] I'm just going to say something.

[15:58] And so it's always beautiful there.

[16:01] And you say you're the gardener?

[16:02] Yes, I'm the gardener.

[16:03] Okay, so you garden at others home.

[16:09] It's always beautiful.

[16:12] I would agree, every time I pass it it's always very well kept

[16:17] and it looks very nice.

[16:19] Thank you.

[16:20] Thank you.

[16:21] I just have one question.

[16:22] So, will this canopy be anchored and secured, or is it just going to be set?

[16:32] No, it's going to be anchored, so we'll have steel brackets that will be bolted on into the concrete

[16:38] and then we have the four by four post eight feet high that will be anchored in there.

[16:43] Yeah, it's going to be solid structure. It's not going to move.

[16:47] Yeah. I just wanted to confirm that because I saw that sitting there with those little, you know, the concept

[16:52] and it's like, is that just going to be set or is it not?

[16:54] No, the State Building Code requires that to be on the agenda.

[16:58] Yeah.

[16:59] Excuse me, but that's not what he's doing.

[17:02] Is that going to be an issue?

[17:03] You just attached him to the sidewalk.

[17:06] Can you repeat that?

[17:07] Thank you.

[17:08] Right.

[17:08] It appears that these are ties that are attached to the concrete sidewalk, you know,

[17:13] but it's not really anchored down any, is that allowable?

[17:19] He's going, the applicant's going to have to be able to plant these and I'm not sure if it's actually in the sidewalk.

[17:24] I think you can address this either in the sidewalk or in the grass adjacent to the sidewalk,

[17:28] but those will need to be secured and have a foundation to be approved and to be allowed.

[17:34] I don't want to comment on this issue was that you have a beautiful building, well maintained.

[17:45] I just think in front of the building is just going to distract from the building.

[17:50] And I can't think of any other church or establishment in a city that has a covered walkway going

[17:59] to the park.

[18:01] So I kind of going back and forth or before it.

[18:08] That's an excellent point.

[18:10] One thing I would want to say, though, is in this location, you're, it's actually

[18:15] on the farther western point of the building.

[18:17] So if you're driving up and down Jocelyn where you get far more traffic than you do on

[18:20] Northfield, this is the last thing you're going to see.

[18:23] So it's not going to take away from the aesthetics that you have of the building

[18:27] of the landscaping when it comes to the high traffic corridor of Jocelyn.

[18:31] So, just perspective.

[18:34] And then, I just like it to follow up my comment with, I do understand that it's not our

[18:39] purview here to be concerned ultimately about building code issues.

[18:46] But I do like to mention things in the event that the applicant isn't aware of the need.

[18:52] And so that they can internalize that and understand that if you're going to move forward with it,

[19:01] you may be running into a situation where you're going to have to dig foundation and properly secure.

[19:07] So if that changes your plans, you can make adjustments, so just for context.

[19:15] So if there are no further questions.

[19:19] Just one, Mr. Chair.

[19:22] I'm looking at, you see the area that's circled back there, can't be there.

[19:27] So is that going to be covered by this as well?

[19:31] Is it going to run short of that?

[19:33] Yes, it will cover it.

[19:34] It will cover them.

[19:35] It will cover them.

[19:35] It will do a right angle.

[19:37] Okay.

[19:37] And it will jutting through that thing.

[19:39] Okay.

[19:40] Yeah.

[19:40] Okay.

[19:40] Thank you.

[19:42] So you will be completely covered from the parking lot, walking in, dry.

[19:48] Okay.

[19:48] I'll come visit when it's raining.

[19:51] You can come and visit us anytime.

[19:53] OK.

[19:54] Wow.

[19:55] I like that.

[19:56] I've got a question.

[19:59] So coming down, OK.

[20:01] So you say, coming down, Jocelyn.

[20:04] But when I go to Norfield, that's

[20:08] more where it's going to be coming that way.

[20:11] Yep.

[20:12] OK.

[20:12] I thought so.

[20:13] OK.

[20:14] I thought I just wanted to make it.

[20:15] I bring up the slide, but it was on my presentation.

[20:17] I don't know if it's on this.

[20:18] Yeah, no, that's good.

[20:19] Yeah.

[20:20] Okay.

[20:20] No questions to me.

[20:23] All right.

[20:24] And then I guess at this point, I will open up for public comment,

[20:29] or is there anyone from the public that would like to make a comment?

[20:34] Seeing none, I'll close public comment.

[20:47] Do we have a motion?

[20:53] Mark, should I read both?

[20:54] One at a time, one at a time though, we're going to do, okay.

[20:58] I move to approve the dimensional variance to allow a canopy to be constructed in the front yard.

[21:04] We've got at 15, 17, Jocelyn Avenue, based on the findings of fact in the staff report.

[21:12] Support?

[21:13] We have a motion by May and support by Kirk and Dolph.

[21:18] Is there any discussion on the motion?

[21:23] Roll call please.

[21:24] Okay.

[21:28] Bueno, Kirk and Dolph.

[21:30] Yes.

[21:31] Bavakwa?

[21:32] Yes.

[21:33] McClellan?

[21:34] Yes.

[21:35] May.

[21:36] Yes.

[21:37] Motion passes 4 to 1.

[21:42] Do we have a second motion?

[21:44] I move to approve the dimensional variance to allow the total assessor restructure area at of 1556 square feet at 1517 Jocelyn Avenue based on the findings of FET and the staff report.

[22:02] Support?

[22:02] We have motion by May, support by Kirk and Dolph, any discussion on the motion.

[22:11] Can we get a roll call please?

[22:13] May.

[22:14] Yes.

[22:15] McClellan.

[22:16] Yes.

[22:17] Bavakwa?

[22:18] Yes.

[22:19] Kirk and Dolph.

[22:20] Yes.

[22:21] Boino.

[22:22] Okay.

[22:23] Motion passes, four to one.

[22:30] Thank you.

[22:31] Thank you very much.

[22:42] An administration would you like to take the next presentation?

[22:54] So, tonight's second case is application ZBA 25 dashed year, zero five.

[23:01] The applicant is Sharper Tech, which is the property owner and

[23:05] business that is located there.

[23:06] It's said 486 South Optike Road.

[23:09] The variance is to reduce the side yard setback and

[23:12] of an existing accessory structure.

[23:15] The request is to reduce the side yard setback requirement from 15 feet to 8 feet 10 inches.

[23:21] And I just wanted to clarify before we get started, the accessory structure setbacks are the same as the principal structure setbacks for the zoning district, which is M2.

[23:31] So instead of 15, they would have 8 feet 10 inches.

[23:36] So this is the location if you look to the upper center of the parcel.

[23:41] It's at the end of, I know the street now can't see it there.

[23:48] It's right off of Optic that has an Optic address even though there is a street leading to it.

[23:53] Now it's just east of the UWM campus as you can see right there.

[24:00] So the zoning for this property is M2 which is heavy industrial.

[24:07] They're heavy manufacturing, excuse me.

[24:11] To the right is a picture of the site that was taken, I believe recently,

[24:14] but prior to the structures actually being onsite.

[24:21] So,

[24:26] I've already mentioned having to do

[24:27] with the setbacks in the overview.

[24:29] This is an industrial facility.

[24:31] Sharper Tech is an industrial facility

[24:33] with ultrasonic cleaning for commercial and residential uses.

[24:36] The applicant may be able to address that a little further.

[24:39] There was an accessory building constructed in 2024

[24:42] without a building permit or planning review.

[24:44] I'm gonna let the applicant speak a little further

[24:46] about that as it relates to tonight's request.

[24:51] The accessory building is located within the facility's parking lot.

[24:55] If the 15 yard setback were enacted, the facility would lose more parking spaces that it already

[25:01] has, and its vehicle and fire lanes may be impacted by repositioning of the accessory building.

[25:06] And that's why the variance request is here tonight.

[25:09] So if you look, and I'll show you the image, I think we have the image up here, but if you

[25:15] If you look, there's the existing structure on the bottom right of the parcel.

[25:20] They're looking to reconfigure that, but there are two lanes of one-way parking.

[25:25] And so their goal with this was to reposition it to a point that they would move it back a little farther from the property.

[25:34] But essentially, it would block some of the existing parking in that bottom right corner that's there.

[25:41] there. In your packet, there should be an image that highlights that I don't believe we

[25:48] have something up here, but highlights where the location of this is, which is that.

[25:53] I do want to point out, we have shared this with the fire department and they have signed

[25:57] off on the location of this structure if it were to be approved. So that definitely was

[26:02] a concern from staff, but shifting it any farther would restrict, would enact, so essentially

[26:08] doing 8 feet 10 inches does still allow for two-way traffic where 15 would not, so 15 would

[26:15] essentially clear that off. The applicant submitted this photo as an, I think it is

[26:20] an example, but they can speak to that a little further in a moment here. There are seven

[26:24] standards approval with the variance requests. And like I said, this is just some of the pros

[26:30] and cons that staff found in the analysis just trying to do a summary. So the property's

[26:35] being used as an industrial facility, and the successory building is proposed for storage.

[26:40] Compliance of that 15-yard setback does require more parking spaces to be eliminated.

[26:45] Although the applicant expressed concerns about decreasing the employee parking on the site,

[26:50] compliance with the ordinance is not an unnecessarily burdensome, it should be noted that the property does have a lot of spaces on site.

[26:57] And it also is noted that there is a property to the west of here that has to go through this property also to access their site as well.

[27:04] So, it is important to keep lanes of traffic open as much as possible just for that navigability.

[27:11] There are no unique circumstances of this parcel.

[27:14] The building could have been constructed on this parcel abiding by the setback requirements by this ordinance.

[27:20] There are other locations potentially in the rear that the rear could be located.

[27:24] The problem is self-created because the applicant constructed the building in the setback where other locations could meet the requirement.

[27:30] Although the applicant can address how practically feasible or difficult that is.

[27:37] Granting experience though will not affect light air congestion or other public safety concerns.

[27:43] And if the required step back was enforced, the structured footprint would allow for

[27:47] that narrow fire access via optic road.

[27:50] So the recommendation is really up to the ZBA staff that only provides analysis.

[27:57] and the here are the motions up here, so I will let the applicant address the ZBA.

[28:06] Thank you.

[28:19] So my name is Gassana Astrala, I'm the owner of Sharper Tech.

[28:24] We've been in business since 98.

[28:30] We love the City of Paniac, this is our third location in Paniac and the reason why we're

[28:39] We're building this storage is our building is at capacity at the moment.

[28:48] We're trying to put some storage outside the building so we can expand our line of product.

[28:54] We are looking to buy another building in addition to this one in order to grow the automotive and airspace fields in our business.

[29:04] We mainly serve a charcoal tank, we mainly serve the aerospace and the medical side, mostly.

[29:14] And so, we, example companies would be SpaceX, Blue Origin, General Electric, Lockheed Martin.

[29:23] We do all the post process equipment, for example, for Abbott Labs.

[29:28] labs, we do all the stents that are sold in the United States from Abbott Lab, they go

[29:33] through our equipment.

[29:35] We are very specialized equipment building company.

[29:40] The automotive side, we're growing it.

[29:44] The company's name is KPS, manufacturing LLC, and this is the side of the business that

[29:53] we're trying to grow, and hopefully we can find another location in Pontiac.

[29:57] So.

[30:00] This storage is a stepping stone between where we are today and where we want to be next year, when we are able to add another building. Now, as far as the storage unit, we hired a contractor. I made sure that the contract says that he's supposed to apply for a license. Something was missed. I don't know what happened. They built a building. The workers that were there.

[30:30] where we're not fluent in English, I couldn't understand what's going on with the contract.

[30:34] But anyway, when I saw that, I'm like, no, this is not right.

[30:38] We have to apply for the permit, so that's where I am today.

[30:43] And so hindsight, I should have done it myself and not let the contractor do it.

[30:51] But that's where we are.

[30:59] So, if we can go back to the picture, the picture that you showed, this is the actual storage

[31:08] unit that is there, it's not a concept picture, this is the actual one, it is 880 square foot.

[31:17] And the distance from the back of the storage to the fence is the 8 feet that we're talking

[31:25] about versus what the zoning requires was 15 feet.

[31:31] Now if we were to put it at 15 feet, it would be basically right in the middle of the parking lot and it would hinder the space and the travel around the building.

[31:47] Any questions?

[31:50] And does everyone see the exhibit where the site plan with the red where the structure is going to go?

[31:57] So, if not, I can assist.

[31:59] And that's, so again, you're to clarify, you said going to go, as I understand it, this is already there.

[32:07] This is the ED-1 by 22-foot structure.

[32:10] Yes, correct.

[32:11] I don't know if I'm right located, though.

[32:13] This is 40 by, this structure is 40-foot by 22.

[32:19] Okay, so yeah, I got a little confused with your presentation because you made it sound like you wanted to build this structure

[32:26] and all you needed to do was get approval, and you didn't, and now you're here just

[32:31] to get approval.

[32:31] But you actually want to expand this structure.

[32:35] Now, today it is 40 feet long, enough to write, and we want to make it 80 feet.

[32:42] Okay.

[32:44] If I can ask this for the record, is that a new structure, or is that an add-on to this

[32:49] building?

[32:50] The 40 to 80 would be the add-on.

[32:53] It would be an add-on to this building, okay?

[32:54] Yeah, so we would take out this wall and make it longer.

[32:57] Okay.

[33:00] Any questions, and now that we have that established?

[33:02] No, that wasn't clear enough, but I thought it was a shorty work, yeah, or existing,

[33:08] but it isn't existing, expanding and existing, has the city expected it?

[33:13] We have not, and we will be as part of this process.

[33:16] So the zoning board of appeals needs to approve before a building inspection would take place.

[33:22] There is actually a scheduled inspection of the building in general, I think, at the end of the month or something.

[33:27] It's already scheduled.

[33:29] Okay.

[33:29] I have one question of the applicant.

[33:32] Finding a fax that the structure could have been placed elsewhere and met requirements.

[33:37] Is it a particular reason why it was built exactly there?

[33:42] There was no other space.

[33:44] We looked, we've been like really studying it for more than two years and trying to find what's the optimal.

[33:53] And we thought this was the optimal place to put it in.

[33:59] All right, thank you.

[34:00] It does look like it's tucked away in the corners as much as you possibly can only taking away the most

[34:11] minimal amount of parking spaces, yet the issue obviously is the setback.

[34:16] And honestly, I didn't know that this is deviating on the zoning because I thought that the

[34:22] contractor already applied because that was in the purchase order.

[34:26] And then I was caught off guard like a month ago when we wanted to expand it a few months

[34:31] ago, and I'm like, oh, we didn't have the first approval, now we're going to go get that.

[34:36] So, were you more involved in this expansion project, whereas someone communicated directly

[34:43] with the city, is that what I'm gathering?

[34:45] It wasn't me actually, it was Bill Hassel, the President of KPS, manufacturing that I mentioned.

[34:54] But unfortunately, he's at the hospital here in Pontiac.

[34:59] He had some breathing issues and pneumonia, and he was under ventilator, but now he's good.

[35:05] So I'm filling in, I was caught a little bit off guard on where we are in the process.

[35:14] And then on a curiosity, what is the product that you're producing for the automotive industry?

[35:21] We are producing the shafts for the Ford Transit, and our direct customer is Dana.

[35:29] And we produce about 4,000 parts of that a week and we are also having American axle and GK and we're going into those as well.

[35:46] That's why I'm saying this building is way too small for what we're doing.

[35:49] And this is just like storage and preparation for transport as you produce, is that the concept?

[35:56] I have about 10,000 square foot where I can add CNC equipment for the automotive.

[36:03] So I have a big storage inside the building and I'm taking that storage inside the building to put it in here so I can buy more CNC machines.

[36:12] So we bought like six machines and we need about 10 more to keep up with the production.

[36:18] So I see why you're you need to find another location

[36:24] Yeah, we would be looking for like 6,000 I mean 60,000 square foot. Yeah. Well, congratulations on your expansion

[36:33] So I just just just curious

[36:35] Play and yeah, and as far as the airspace I just like I mentioned what we do for medical

[36:43] We do

[36:44] surgical cleaning systems for

[36:47] calculated instruments for the Da Vinci robots, and we sell these to hospitals.

[36:53] But as far as the aerospace, we do flushing systems for the rockets,

[37:00] for the fuel delivery systems for SpaceX and Blue Origin.

[37:03] So we're specialized in pushpull systems for fuel delivery systems.

[37:08] Well, that's diverse portfolio, it's a good place to be, and it's nice.

[37:15] All right, any other questions regarding the presentation?

[37:23] All right, and I guess I'll take this opportunity to open public comment,

[37:31] any public comment?

[37:33] Seeing none, close public comment,

[37:38] and do we have a motion?

[37:47] Sorry to catch off, Guard.

[37:56] I'm moved to approve the dimensional variance to reduce the self-property line side yard setback from 15 to 18 at 486 of that role based on the findings of fact in the staff report.

[38:11] Second.

[38:12] So we have a motion from May and a second from McLean, is there any discussion on this motion?

[38:21] Can we have a roll call, please?

[38:25] Yes.

[38:28] Yes.

[38:30] Yes.

[38:31] May.

[38:32] McLean?

[38:33] Yes.

[38:34] Yes.

[38:36] Thank you.

[38:38] Thank you.

[38:39] Thank

[38:43] you.

[38:49] good night.

[38:53] Next item is regular business. We have no regular business tonight. And what about staff communications?

[39:01] The last meeting will be Monday, June 16th.

[39:13] At the sphere, we'll just see what it lands in terms of.

[39:16] Sometimes people are able to comply and don't need a variance. Sometimes people need them. We should find out.

[39:21] But I know there's a few. There's more than a few that are going to be out there the next few months.

[39:26] Also, beyond that, I just wanted to give another update that the master plan is going tomorrow

[39:33] to City Council for a resolution.

[39:36] I'm very likely to hear that two readings just not push it through too quickly.

[39:40] It'll go to tomorrow night and then also on June 3rd.

[39:44] And that's all I have tonight.

[39:46] All right.

[39:48] And then discussion items from commissioners.

[39:51] Anybody like to?

[39:52] All questions?

[39:53] Mark?

[39:53] Your microphone.

[39:57] So the elections are three months away.

[40:01] And our zoning ordinance for this political science have always been, you know, they can't

[40:06] go up to 30 days before they can go up to 30 days before the election and they have to be

[40:10] taken down 30 days after.

[40:12] That's been the zoning.

[40:14] Does something change?

[40:16] It's been the zoning ordinance.

[40:18] So because it's not been enforced.

[40:24] So here's what I would say to that, and this is something that I have seen in my past and it's with in every community.

[40:32] We can regulate signs when it comes to time-place manner, but there's constitutionality concerns about the timing of political signs and freedom of speech.

[40:45] So, we, while a local municipality may have something on the record, it's hard, it's harder to enforce.

[40:51] Now, what I would say is, we still have limits through our ordinance about how large a sign they can be.

[40:58] They must be on private property with permission from the property owner, and they cannot be blocking clear vision.

[41:05] You know, if there's a driveway there, you know, the line of sight, and they cannot be in the public right away.

[41:11] But in terms of time, constitutionally, that is a very challenging thing to enforce at the moment.

[41:19] Why are we changing the zoning order or is there a way?

[41:22] It will be, I just understand, why can't it, why can't it not be enforced?

[41:27] Yeah.

[41:28] Part of that has just has to do with freedom of speech.

[41:31] You know, in the zoning rules of the Supreme Court and the decisions that they've made.

[41:40] I'd say they have to buy a lot of different things too.

[41:42] Yeah, as part of the zoning ordinance, so I can do a deeper dive with our legal team and with planning commission on that and our planning consultant who be working with us to see, are there alternatives than not having any time per say with having to do with signs in general.

[42:02] I'll see what we can do, but what I think what's hard is when it gets to the presidential elections, which is turned into a year, year and a half process to sometimes.

[42:11] It's hard for us to enforce a local election for, you know, 30 days before and after election and get to presidential elections and allow a different time period.

[42:21] But with that said, I mean, I completely understand, I mean, I'm a resident of Pontiac 2.

[42:26] I understand that, and we may look at it as see if there's any alternatives.

[42:31] That is enforceable that we can work with the community and future campaigns on.

[42:37] Just for what it's worth, what I was told is that the assessor's office is okay.

[42:42] That's why I was told regarding the, put the signs, and I don't see that anywhere else.

[42:50] I drive a long way to work and see political signs in the other area.

[42:56] Can you clarify that, that the comment about the assessor's office, I may not have followed?

[43:00] I called, I talked to someone who's running, and I asked him why the signs go in out.

[43:06] He said, the assessor's office said it was okay to put the signs up.

[43:09] And the assessor's office did for us as if the county has nothing to do with it.

[43:14] It's a county, you know.

[43:16] That's not their purview, where did that come from?

[43:19] It doesn't make any sense.

[43:22] If you think about it, it's ahead of time that we have yard signs all over the place.

[43:27] How did you think about it since you said that?

[43:29] I'm paying attention now.

[43:31] We do those signs are up.

[43:32] You see signs now, right?

[43:34] And it's way early.

[43:36] It looks like it's in like in August or so.

[43:38] Yeah.

[43:38] It's in August.

[43:39] It's way early.

[43:40] What we made, because it made June, July, August.

[43:44] That's four months, right?

[43:47] So when are they allowed to put the signs out there?

[43:50] 30 days.

[43:51] 30 days, 30 days, 30 days, 30 days, 4.

[43:53] And then they can stay for the point of 30 days.

[43:57] It's funny because I have, I'm sorry, okay, okay, you're right.

[44:02] And it's been that way for forever, I mean, in that way forever.

[44:06] Like I said, you don't see that in the other community so far, a lot of hurt or anywhere.

[44:12] But in context, and to Merck's point is, and I've seen this previously,

[44:18] there are folks, especially with the guy, the orange guy,

[44:23] That put that sign up in their yard all year long, and people have tried to go after that and fail.

[44:33] So it becomes, if they're allowed to do it all year long, why can't other private property

[44:40] owners do what they want for their local, and that's where we start getting into that situation?

[44:46] So I can see that.

[44:47] People get pretty overzealous in these, even with these local elections, people are asking

[44:52] me as I'm running for district two. When are you getting your materials out? When are you and I'm like, it's no

[45:00] Election.

[45:03] People shouldn't care about this until we get a little closer, like let's just take it down a notch, but we are where we are so.

[45:15] Last thing I wanted to bring up is, I don't know who here made it to the ZBA training at the county, but if anyone wanted to debrief on that, how they felt, I can give you the floor. I enjoyed it. It was good. I really enjoyed it.

[45:29] It was very informational this time around some reason.

[45:35] Yeah

[45:43] Thank you for your attendance and then continue training. Yeah, we appreciate it

[45:47] Just make sure you keep us aware cuz yeah, yeah, we had a good presence there Pontiac did I think we probably had the most

[45:55] percentage of the room filled

[45:58] We did we did I love that our ZBA meeting in the month of May have had all our motions from miss May

[46:09] Nice observation

[46:14] Very good

[46:15] All right, anyone any other discussions

[46:22] Can I get a motion to adjourn?

[46:24] So we've got a motion from Kirkendolf, a second from May.

[46:29] All those in favor say aye.

[46:31] Aye.

[46:31] I have it.

[46:32] Have a good night.

[46:33] Thank you.

ZBA Meeting 5-19-25

Transcript