[0:10] Okay. Welcome everybody to the City of Wyandotte Zoning Board of Appeals and

[0:13] Adjustments. Today is Wednesday, September 2nd.

[0:15] We're in the council chambers at City Hall. Julie, could you call the roll please?

[0:20] Members Duran.

[0:21] Yes.

[0:22] Glassman.

[0:22] Yes.

[0:23] Gillen.

[0:24] Yes.

[0:24] Hamill.

[0:25] Yes.

[0:25] Simchuk.

[0:26] Yes.

[0:27] Members DeSanto, McDonald, Olsen, and Triviano are all excused.

[0:31] Okay, thank you. We have no communications.

[0:33] We have minutes from the August 5th meeting that are in your packet.

[0:38] If there's any discussion on these changes or revisions, otherwise I'll entertain a

[0:42] motion on these.

[0:43] Motion to approve.

[0:44] Okay.

[0:45] Please on file.

[0:46] All right. Support? All in favor?

[0:48] Aye.

[0:48] Opposed? Okay. All right. We have one appeal this evening.

[0:52] How it works is I'll read the appeal.

[0:55] The owner and the appellant will come forward to the micro...

[0:58] Does that microphone work or no? You want to put the thing... Okay.

[1:01] So they'll come up. Just speak loudly, state your name and address for the record,

[1:05] give us a little summary of what you're doing, and then the board will ask you

[1:09] questions. Then we'll have the public come up with any statements they want to

[1:12] make. And then at the end, when we close the public portion, we will deliberate and

[1:16] make a decision tonight. So, you'll know before you leave.

[1:21] So we just have the one appeal today.

[1:24] Appeal 3441. Jeffrey Dziedzic, owner, and Yvonne Diaz-Flores, appellant, have

[1:30] appealed to the Zoning Board of Appeals and Adjustments of the City of Wyandotte

[1:33] for a certificate of occupancy for a dance studio at 2050 Ford, Wyandotte,

[1:38] Michigan, Lots 237-238, Shore Grove Subdivision, in a B-1 zoning district where the

[1:43] proposed conflicts with Section 190.324.R.1.A of the zoning

[1:49] ordinance, and that section reads, "The minimum off-street parking requirement for

[1:54] a dance studio is 12 parking spaces, where only four parking spaces are provided."

[2:00] Is anyone here that wants to... Are the owners here, are the appellant here at all?

[2:04] If you could come forward, please.

[2:08] And again, your name and address, just repeat it again for the record and just give

[2:12] us an overview of what you're doing.

[2:14] Okay. My name is Yvonne Diaz-Flores.

[2:16] I'm the owner of In Focus Dance Center, which is located at 2034 Ford Avenue.

[2:22] Did you want my home address as well?

[2:23] No, that's fine.

[2:24] Just that?

[2:24] The business is fine. Yeah.

[2:26] So I'm seeking to obtain a certificate of occupancy with the hope of purchasing the

[2:30] building located at 2050 Ford Avenue.

[2:33] I think the most pertinent point in this case is that I currently own 2034,

[2:40] so this would be an additional dance space, not a new studio.

[2:43] The building located at 2034 already has eight parking spots, so with the four

[2:48] additional at 2050, we would then meet the requirement of 12 parking spots.

[2:53] Okay. So you're going to have the dance studio pretty much expanded into that

[2:57] building.

[2:57] Exactly.

[2:58] Okay.

[2:58] It's another dance space. And in my original proposal, I talked about how we now

[3:04] do competition dance. It's grown a lot, and one of the big things is more props and

[3:09] larger numbers, which we just don't have space for props in our current location,

[3:13] so we'd have storage. And the other very important thing to note is that our studio

[3:18] is drop-off and pick-up, so the only people who actually stay in the lobby are

[3:23] parents of our youngest dancers, which are five and under who need help using the

[3:26] restroom. Everyone else, if they have a younger dancer, they might come pick them

[3:31] up, but they are not sitting in the studio.

[3:33] Okay. May I ask your hours of operation?

[3:37] Yes. Well, summer, hardly anything at all, but Monday through

[3:43] Friday, 4:30 to 9:00. And then Saturdays 10:00 a.m.

[3:48] to 1:00 p.m.

[3:50] And no Sunday?

[3:51] No Sunday.

[3:52] Okay. Thank you. Just to get an overview of that.

[3:56] Okay. If you want to just stay there, we're going to have the board ask questions

[4:01] first, and then you can sit down, and we'll have the-

[4:03] Okay

[4:03] ... neighbors come up and say whatever they need to say.

[4:06] I also have a letter from Dennis Cole that I'll read.

[4:10] So just stay around till the end, and then we'll deliberate.

[4:12] Okay.

[4:12] Once we've heard everybody, then you can always come back up if you have anything

[4:16] else to add. Okay? Thank you. Oh, I'm sorry. Stay there. Go to Richard.

[4:22] Rich, you got any questions you'd like to have answered?

[4:24] No. I drove by, and I took a look to see.

[4:27] I know the building next door, where you were talking about, that's been standing

[4:32] vacant for a while. And then, I know on the backside it had a couple of

[4:38] parking spaces, but you said it has four?

[4:42] Correct. That's what actually I spoke to Mr. Placencia, I believe.

[4:46] Yes.

[4:46] Yeah. And that's the LME measure house.

[4:51] Yeah, really no other questions.

[4:52] All right. James.

[4:54] The only part that wasn't clear to me was the business that's a cleaning business

[5:00] that put a sign there. So that is actually in between-

[5:03] Exactly

[5:03] ... these two?

[5:04] Yes.

[5:04] So that's still there. So

[5:07] the building that you're acquiring is not directly adjacent, it's one neighbor

[5:13] over.

[5:13] Exactly correct. Yeah.

[5:15] All right. That clarifies that.

[5:18] Mike.

[5:19] I thought that was interesting.

[5:22] Yeah.

[5:22] Are you trying to acquire that building?

[5:25] They're still operational, so I have not.

[5:27] It was just, me knowing that 2050 has been empty for so long was

[5:33] what kind of attracted me.

[5:34] So you're not going to increase

[5:39] any of your student number?

[5:41] Well, that was also something in my...

[5:43] So we, of course, as a business, always want to grow.

[5:46] But in Downriver, there are many dance studios, and we have been right around the

[5:50] 200 mark for at least five years. And actually, I studied at

[5:56] the original Marsha Ahlers, which was 2034.

[6:00] And when she retired, the studio had more students.

[6:03] It had 250 as opposed to the 200 we have now. So we actually have less students.

[6:08] They're just there longer, which is another reason the parents drop and clean

[6:12] because they're there all night.

[6:14] Is this a purchase or a rent?

[6:16] I'm looking to purchase.

[6:18] Okay.

[6:21] A real quick question.

[6:23] Is there an inspection that goes with

[6:29] purchasing a commercial property?

[6:34] It just looked a little ragged out front. I was just wondering.

[6:40] Good evening. Yes, there would be a sale inspection required for

[6:46] the purchase of the building.

[6:48] Okay. I just want it-

[6:50] Yep

[6:50] ... just want it to be stated.

[6:52] Yep.

[6:52] Okay.

[6:52] And you are aware of that then?

[6:54] Yes, for sure, because I did it with the original. I own 2034 as well.

[6:59] Good.

[6:59] So I went through-

[7:00] I think it'll be an improvement. That area looks a little bit the same for a very

[7:06] long time.

[7:06] Yeah.

[7:07] So if you're going to give it a facelift.

[7:09] Yes, absolutely. My husband's ready to go in to fix it up.

[7:12] Okay. Sounds real good.

[7:13] That's his job.

[7:13] Real good. Thank you.

[7:15] Okay. Ian, anything?

[7:16] My only question was about the numbers, so I just ask that as far as the enrollment

[7:19] goes and how that might increase as you expand the

[7:25] space.

[7:25] Right. Yeah, I don't anticipate...

[7:27] The other thing we have a lot of are private lessons.

[7:31] So we have 30 private lessons a season, and they're half an hour each.

[7:34] So if you look at our hours of operation, that means there's one teacher and one

[7:39] student in that big room.

[7:44] All right. Thank you. Do you have anything else you want to say before we go to the

[7:48] public hearing? Public comment.

[7:50] Yeah. I think that's it.

[7:50] Okay. Take a seat, and then we'll call you back up.

[7:54] Let me read this letter real quick before anybody comes up.

[7:57] This says, "To whom it may concern, this letter is regarding the proposed dance

[8:00] studio at 2050 Ford Avenue. I live at 1890 20th Street, directly behind this dance

[8:05] studio. My garage is located on the alley adjacent to the dance studio parking lot,

[8:10] so the alley effectively serves as my driveway.

[8:13] From my perspective, I do not see any problem with the current parking situation.

[8:16] I have also discussed the matter with neighboring residents, and they have

[8:20] expressed similar views. In general, parents bringing children to dance classes

[8:24] drop them off and pick them up, and very few remain on-site during class.

[8:28] If anyone were to be negatively impacted by parking activity, it would likely be me

[8:33] since my access is directly connected to the alley.

[8:36] However, I have not experienced any issues or concerns.

[8:39] The dance studio is a tremendous asset to our community.

[8:42] It provides a positive environment where children can learn, develop, and grow.

[8:46] In addition, the owners take excellent care of both their building and surrounding

[8:49] property, contributing positively to the neighborhood.

[8:52] For these reasons, I support the dance studio and do not believe the current

[8:55] parking situation presents a problem.

[8:58] Sincerely, Dennis Cole." So I just wanted to read that into the record. Okay.

[9:02] Anybody that wants to come up and speak, please come up, state your name and

[9:05] address, and then state your support or opposition or whatever you want to say,

[9:10] your comments about the situation.

[9:12] And then we're just talking about the parking right now.

[9:15] So that's what we're focused on. Thank you

[9:18] Jean Silvassi, 1889 21st. I am the other house

[9:24] adjacent to the alley across from 2050 Ford Avenue.

[9:30] Okay.

[9:33] My opinion is totally different than Dennis Cole.

[9:39] This has been nothing but a problem for years.

[9:43] The last time I was at a zoning board meeting opposing somebody else going in that

[9:48] I thought was going to create more traffic,

[9:52] the group still approved it.

[9:56] I cannot

[9:58] get in and out of my garage when I want to between 4:00 and

[10:04] 9:30 at night.

[10:07] And then if I even can get in the alley, because they double park, they're using

[10:12] the alley for a parking lot. And some of these parents do sit there in the alley

[10:18] the whole time their child is in the dance studio.

[10:22] I don't remember if it's Tuesday or Wednesday evenings, but when I open the

[10:27] garage door the next morning, all these cigarette butts on the apron to my

[10:33] garage because somebody sat out there smoking for 45 minutes while their child

[10:39] was in the dance studio. They've also parked up on the apron of my

[10:45] garage. They're not just blocking the garage, they're on my property.

[10:50] You wouldn't appreciate it if you came home and somebody was in your driveway or

[10:54] blocking the entrance to your garage.

[10:56] And then, now I open the garage door, and sometimes it's already dark,

[11:03] and I've got the car lined up right at the garage, but there's somebody parked

[11:08] right in front of my garage door. Do you think they move? No.

[11:12] I have to get out of the car, knock on their car window, and my

[11:17] usual statement is, "Excuse me, but you're blocking my garage." I have

[11:23] been grunted at, snarled at, glared at, and all but spat on.

[11:29] And then one woman said to me, "Well, you expect me to move?

[11:33] I'm waiting for my daughter." I said, "You're blocking my garage."

[11:40] Okay.

[11:40] This goes on and on.

[11:44] So like I said, my perspective is totally different.

[11:48] Okay.

[11:48] And I am afraid, and I know what she said, but that they expand, they're going to

[11:54] have more students, and we're going to even have more traffic.

[11:58] You can't park on our street. They overflow onto 21st and 20th.

[12:04] And like I said, I have to live my life around the dance

[12:10] studio because I can't come and go as I please. That's a public alley.

[12:16] The alley ordinance says no standing or parking, and they block

[12:21] the alley for hours. It might not be the same car, but one leaves and there's

[12:27] another one out there. But there's double rows and also when the weather's nicer,

[12:32] sitting in my backyard isn't nice because I've got all these fumes from all these

[12:38] backed up cars sitting in the alley. No.

[12:42] I'm sorry, but this has gone on for years.

[12:45] I've complained about it before, and I don't understand if it's two

[12:50] separate buildings, how you can qualify that that's 12 parking places.

[12:56] They've been short of parking space for years, and

[13:01] what they've got right now is overflowing into 2050 parking.

[13:05] They use that parking lot now, even though the dance studio isn't at that property.

[13:12] So it's not going to increase their parking space by them going into 2050 because

[13:18] those parents park anywhere they can squeeze in.

[13:23] I've had somebody, I'm backing out of the garage, and I've had a woman whiz in

[13:29] and park right behind me that I got to stop backing out of the garage.

[13:35] And then her too, she says, "Well, just give me a minute.

[13:37] I have to take my daughter in." No. This is wrong. This is totally illegal.

[13:44] Okay. All right. Thank you for your comments.

[13:47] Dennis, may I ask a question?

[13:49] Okay.

[13:49] Have you made that complaint to the police department?

[13:53] Yes.

[13:54] Okay.

[13:56] Have you made that to the engineering department or municipal service that they can

[13:59] put up signs, such as they have handicap signs or deaf children?

[14:04] It's pretty obvious that it's against the law to park in front of a driveway.

[14:11] Now, I'm not positive on an alley, but I think an alley, as long as that's your

[14:16] only access from your garage, equals to the same purpose as a driveway

[14:22] or an approach on a street. So therefore, if somebody is blocking your

[14:27] driveway,

[14:30] you could call the police department and ask for them to issue a ticket.

[14:35] If it's really that bad going on, I would start taking photographs of the cars that

[14:40] are doing that.

[14:42] Mm-hmm.

[14:42] Cigarette butts, I quit 32 years ago.

[14:46] I never threw my cigarette butts on the ground. It's disgusting.

[14:51] Mm-hmm.

[14:53] That's littering. I still think that's a $500 fine.

[14:58] Now-

[14:59] Take pictures

[15:00] ... I would hate to restrict a dance studio to improve the studio and

[15:06] help these children and what they're doing

[15:10] because of a few rude people. And believe me, I understand rude people because I

[15:16] lived on the streets and still do, where we call them crazy moms.

[15:20] The ones that drop their kids off to school and pick them up.

[15:23] It's hard to pull out of your driveway

[15:26] because they're going so fast.

[15:28] Right.

[15:29] Okay. It's a problem in Wyandotte. We have a parking problem in Wyandotte.

[15:35] There's no doubt about it. But I would suggest that you address it through the

[15:40] proper channels and see if you can resolve the situation.

[15:45] And I suppose that with the mothers or fathers, whoever drop off their children,

[15:51] if they're all of a sudden, they all really know that they're getting a $150, $250

[15:57] ticket for blocking your driveway, I think that they would stop blocking your

[16:03] driveway. So you have to address the issue, not come to the zoning board and say,

[16:09] "Deny this." Because in my view, if we deny this, it's not going

[16:15] to change the situation one bit.

[16:17] No, I realize that.

[16:18] So I'm trying to help you look at your situation and address it.

[16:23] And-

[16:23] That's why I've talked to the police department, and I've talked to the zoning

[16:28] officer, the ordinance officer, and he assured me that they are

[16:33] notifying the afternoon patrol

[16:37] to...

[16:42] I can't think of the word. Yeah. To-

[16:47] Patrol the area?

[16:48] Yeah.

[16:48] Yeah, they have rounds.

[16:50] Yeah. Put that on high attention.

[16:53] I'm just saying is that if we deny this or approve it one way or the other, it

[16:57] appears that it will not help or hinder the situation one way or the other,

[17:02] especially the person that puts the cigarette butts out, or she. I'm sorry.

[17:06] Yeah.

[17:06] The person that puts the cigarette butts out.

[17:09] People emptying their ashtrays in the street just drive me nuts, or parking lots.

[17:14] But anyways, I hope that helped, and I'm sorry about your situation.

[17:20] Yeah.

[17:21] Okay. Well, thank you for your comments.

[17:23] Again, everything's being taken into consideration, so-

[17:26] Okay

[17:26] ... we'll have someone else. Anybody else want to come forward and make comments,

[17:30] please?

[17:40] My name is Bob Jankowski. I own the property of 2044 Northline.

[17:45] I'm not-

[17:46] Bob, could you speak up? I am hard of hearing, and we don't have-

[17:50] Can you hear? I can't hear myself back there.

[17:51] That doesn't work.

[17:51] Yeah, my phone's are out the same way.

[17:53] Can't hear myself back there.

[17:54] Anyway.

[17:54] Anyway, I own the property of 2044 Northline.

[17:59] Right.

[18:00] In between those two buildings. And I'm not here for you to deny their claim to

[18:05] open a studio, and I think that's fine.

[18:07] But what I am here for is the attitude of when we have a situation with the

[18:13] parking, how it's handled.

[18:16] Now, I'm in between both of those buildings.

[18:20] In order for them to get to their parking lot, they're going across my parking lot.

[18:26] Now they're going to go the other way

[18:28] A couple years ago, they plowed their snow, they put it all on my building.

[18:33] So I've been there since they started.

[18:37] I've went over there many times to talk to them. "There's somebody in my driveway.

[18:42] Would you have them get out?" They send them out.

[18:44] I've had women that I couldn't get into my building because I have

[18:50] a garage door in the front and a garage door in the back.

[18:53] They would say, "I'm waiting for my daughter." I'd say, "I have to get in.

[18:57] I'm only going to be here a minute."

[19:00] So I'm telling you right now, what I'm going to be doing in my parking lot is I'm

[19:04] going to be putting

[19:06] things out so they can't go across my parking lot, and that's just going to make

[19:10] that much more difficult for them.

[19:15] They have not been very responsive to any

[19:20] concerns that I have. They have not came over to me one time and talked to me about

[19:24] the parking. What can we do? How can we make it better?

[19:28] Not one time, ever, in probably as long as they've been there, which is probably

[19:32] 15, 20 years.

[19:36] But I think it's a great thing. I think it's good for the kids, it's good for the

[19:39] community, but there's no parking there.

[19:42] Right.

[19:44] Now, if they would have picked a place like the drugstore on the corner of

[19:49] Northline and Jefferson, fine.

[19:53] Okay. Thank you. Anyone else want to come forward?

[19:57] Come on up.

[20:01] Hello.

[20:03] State your name and address, please.

[20:05] My name is Eduardo Diaz. And

[20:09] my wife, she's the owner of In Focus Dance Center at 2034 Ford Avenue.

[20:16] It's just, rather than all those comments that they've made about

[20:21] issues among ourselves, there hasn't been any issues except for one that actually

[20:26] happened to be there. Now, they reported it to the police when one of the sons

[20:30] actually came into the building swearing at the

[20:36] moms. Ms. Lori happens to be our manager, secretary manager.

[20:41] She

[20:43] was in the middle of it, but he didn't know I was the husband, well, her husband,

[20:46] my wife, Yvonne Diaz. I just took the whole situation outdoors so they could

[20:51] deescalate, right?

[20:52] Mm-hmm.

[20:52] And he was a little bit of aggressive person, but like I told him, "We're not here

[20:57] for any of this. There's kids in there, there's all these parents.

[21:01] We don't need any of this. I want to go to your business and to respect your

[21:05] customers or your staff." So

[21:09] as time went by, obviously the police handled it.

[21:12] They actually came to the location. The snow, I handled the snow.

[21:16] I never put it on their side. I always put it on our wall.

[21:20] I'm the one that does it. I wouldn't wind up here.

[21:22] That's it.

[21:23] Second of all,

[21:25] as far as

[21:27] talking to one of their sons, I have spoken to one of their sons.

[21:30] He's actually a pretty nice guy. We just talked him out there and asked me how we

[21:34] resolve this issue. I suggested maybe put a no parking, because these are adults.

[21:40] There's only so much you can tell them.

[21:43] At the end of the day, I'm here only to take care of my wife's business.

[21:46] All the little kids know me. They're very pleasant kids.

[21:49] The parents, yeah, sure, we do have some moms that have issues and they're louder.

[21:56] And I suggested to him to maybe put a no parking.

[22:00] "Oh, well, that's not really something to go." That's the only option you have.

[22:04] You told them. Maybe at some point they'll understand that parking illegal is not a

[22:10] good idea. But

[22:13] I have no problem as

[22:16] the husband with them at all, except for one time, that was a bit.

[22:22] So I think we could get along just fine.

[22:24] It's just a matter of

[22:26] him,

[22:28] I don't know, having better communication, to an extent, obviously, because the

[22:32] police would have to get involved. And that's it.

[22:38] Okay. Thank you. Appreciate your comments.

[22:40] Thanks. Take care.

[22:40] All right. Anybody else want to come forward when we're talking about parking

[22:43] spaces?

[22:47] All right. Your name?

[22:48] Hi. My name's Ashley Dunbar, and this is Pariana Dunbar.

[22:53] We've been fortunate enough-

[22:55] Your address, please.

[22:55] I'm sorry?

[22:56] Your address.

[22:56] 661 St. John's, Wyandotte, Michigan.

[22:59] Okay.

[23:00] We've been fortunate enough to belong to the dance community at In Focus for seven

[23:05] years now. And if we're fortunate enough, hopefully another seven years at the

[23:10] studio. And I myself would volunteer my time between those hours of 4:00

[23:16] PM and 8:00 PM as a parking lot admin to make sure that nobody's

[23:22] spaces, so that way these kids can continue to dance and have a safe space to do

[23:26] so.

[23:28] Great. Thank you for your comments. Appreciate it. Anybody else?

[23:31] May I ask a question?

[23:32] Welcome back, Harrison, for a minute. Thank you.

[23:36] So you don't get paid or anything?

[23:39] No.

[23:40] So you're a mom and you're a parking lot attendant?

[23:46] Whatever I can do for these kids-

[23:47] Volunteer

[23:47] ... I'm going to do it.

[23:48] Okay. You haven't been one, but you're volunteering.

[23:51] Oh, no, I have actually been one as well.

[23:53] Okay.

[23:53] We do ensure that nobody blocks the alleyway.

[23:57] We have a whole competition team of about 40 kids with about 30 parents in between

[24:02] them, and we have a chat amongst them.

[24:04] If there's anyone in that space, I've been one of the people that have gone down

[24:08] there and made sure that a parent will move their vehicle.

[24:10] And I'll continue to do so.

[24:12] From other people that we've heard, it appears that you have a couple people that

[24:17] park in front of driveways and put their cigarettes-

[24:19] Well, right now I'm not on the clock, but-

[24:21] Oh

[24:22] ... I'll be willing to do so.

[24:24] Okay. Good. Thank you.

[24:26] You're welcome. Thanks. All right, anybody else want to come forward?

[24:30] Come on up.

[24:34] All right.

[24:36] Good evening. My name's Dr. Jeff Dusek.

[24:39] I own the building at 2050 Ford Avenue, and that building, unfortunately, has been

[24:45] empty since 2008 when the great recession hit.

[24:49] And I'm also the owner of Lincoln Park Veterinary Hospital, and we just moved all

[24:53] our clientele. They wanted to come down there.

[24:57] Recently, I know the building was a little bit out of code, and right now we've

[25:02] taken down the signs. We're painting the front of it, painting the back of it, and

[25:07] fixing up the parking lot. However, the city of Wyandotte has asked us to do, so

[25:12] we're doing all those things.

[25:15] Jean, I've known you for a long time because she used to work down at the animal

[25:20] hospital for a long time. But have you ever talked to Yvonne about the problem?

[25:24] Have you ever gone down to the dance studio?

[25:26] In previous summers, I have.

[25:27] Okay. So back there listening, and I said if she knew it, I think she would talk to

[25:33] her parents about not parking in the

[25:38] alleyway, and so that's something she as an owner will, I think, deal with.

[25:43] I think putting up some signs that there's no parking in the alley will be helpful.

[25:48] But also, it's not really a retail strip, and so it's a dance

[25:54] studio. I don't consider that retail.

[25:57] I was sort of retail, but I'm selling the building.

[25:59] It'll be nice that the building will be used for a good purpose.

[26:04] But there are also, again, four parking spots that are in front of all

[26:10] those buildings. And so not being retail and people having to park there to go into

[26:16] a retail store, I think not that they should be necessarily concerned, but there

[26:21] are spaces for people to park, and it's indentation or whatever you want to call it

[26:26] for the parking. So I'm just hoping, I think it'd be a great place, like you said,

[26:31] for kids to go learn and helping maybe beautify that area a little bit in

[26:36] Wyandotte. I'm not a resident of Wyandotte or Downriver, but I think it'll help

[26:41] that area a lot.

[26:43] Okay. Thank you, Dr. Dusek. Appreciate it.

[26:45] Any questions?

[26:47] No. I think we're all set. Thank you. Anybody else want to speak? Come up now.

[26:52] Once we close the public portion, you won't be able to come up, so make your

[26:56] comments known if you want.

[26:58] I just have one comment.

[26:59] Okay. Come on up.

[27:06] My name is Rita McNally.

[27:08] Okay.

[27:09] I live at 1861 21st.

[27:11] Okay.

[27:13] And my concern is, and it's a county road, Northline is a county

[27:19] road, but the parking goes all the way really close to the corner.

[27:24] And when people are parked there all the way, if you're coming out from 21st onto

[27:30] Northline, you can't see any traffic.

[27:35] So far, I don't know that there's been any accidents, but every time I do that, I

[27:39] think I should've done this. I should've gone down to 22nd to come out onto

[27:44] Northline. So it's just... Oh, no, there's just too many

[27:49] cars in that area right there.

[27:52] Yeah.

[27:53] But I also wonder, now, the studio she has already is eight parking spaces.

[28:00] Mm-hmm.

[28:00] If she has another studio,

[28:03] then she should have 12 there even.

[28:06] But if they have another studio, they should have 12

[28:10] for that building, right?

[28:12] Well, it's based on square footage.

[28:13] That's what the engineering department does, is they go in and calculate how many

[28:16] they need first.

[28:17] Okay. But I just wondered if... Okay.

[28:20] Yeah.

[28:20] So she's saying the total would be 12.

[28:22] Yes.

[28:23] But-

[28:24] Yes

[28:25] ... that would-

[28:26] Your problem is the same as my problem.

[28:28] Really?

[28:29] I live on 17th, and I get out north to Northline or Ford Road.

[28:35] The building is right on the property line right next to me.

[28:40] I can't see anything coming there. Talk about pedestrians.

[28:44] Pardon?

[28:45] Pedestrians. I can't see them. I could pull out, they could run into the side of my

[28:50] car. Now,

[28:52] that's a zoning issue a long time ago of setbacks,

[28:58] and it's been 50 years, and all the buildings are set back now, so you can see.

[29:05] When they were first put up, there was no setbacks, but there wasn't this

[29:11] many cars.

[29:12] Yeah.

[29:13] Matter of fact, there weren't cars at all.

[29:15] So it's like, and still on the other side of my street, I have the same thing.

[29:20] People park down the road. I can't tell if a car...

[29:23] I got to wait, like 15 seconds to make sure a car is not coming, just because

[29:29] people park on the street.

[29:31] Once again, Wyandotte has-

[29:33] That's square footage

[29:33] ... a lot of parking issues, and we have more traffic than ever.

[29:37] Yep.

[29:37] And all I can say is that there are a lot of people that run the red light at

[29:43] 17th and Ford Road.

[29:46] A lot of people.

[29:47] That's horrible.

[29:47] Matter of fact, every time I go there, I watch somebody run it red right in front

[29:51] of me. So we all have issues, but we aren't here

[29:56] to pick on those issues.

[29:59] Yeah.

[29:59] We're here looking that it appears that the dance studio's not going to increase-

[30:04] No

[30:04] ... any students. So they do parking by square footage.

[30:10] So actually,

[30:12] in reality, it appears that they're adding four spaces-

[30:16] Mm-hmm

[30:16] ... which is a plus.

[30:20] Okay. And I know this county road thing is a county.

[30:24] Yeah.

[30:24] But I thought I'd just mention about the total parking problem-

[30:30] Yeah

[30:30] ... in that area.

[30:32] Thank you.

[30:33] Okay. Thank you. Thank you so much. Anybody else? Come on up.

[30:41] Hi, I'm Carrie Martinez. I'm at 18510th.

[30:46] My girls have danced at In Focus for longer than I can count.

[30:51] I have a senior this year, so she's entering her last year of dance.

[30:56] And, I just want to say, I really appreciate the comments that have been brought

[31:02] forward by the community. A lot of ideas.

[31:04] When people come together, to solve a problem, a lot of great ideas come up.

[31:10] And,

[31:13] I would also just like to say that, yeah, every business has some people

[31:18] who may not follow the rules. But I think if we put some of these ideas in place,

[31:25] then we can address them. And I,

[31:29] you've heard about dance moms. When there is a problem,

[31:35] we are there to address it, and we are there to police our own, and, to make

[31:41] sure that we are being respectful of the people around us.

[31:45] So, as far as the cigarette butts, that is absolutely disgusting.

[31:49] So please take pictures and bring them to the studio, and we will take care of it.

[31:54] I'm telling you, if somebody's parked in front of your driveway, take pictures,

[31:59] bring it to Yvonne, and we will take care of it.

[32:03] And I shouldn't be slacking like this.

[32:06] We will take care of it in a respectful manner.

[32:07] But, I appreciate,

[32:12] Flaxen? Mr. Flaxen?

[32:14] Yeah.

[32:14] Yes. I appreciate your comments, too, and your thought process around the fact

[32:18] that...

[32:21] Hold on. I have to gather my thought.

[32:24] That the problems themselves that are currently in place are not

[32:29] necessarily... It's not going to get worse with what we're doing, right?

[32:35] If we don't, if this zoning concern isn't

[32:40] awarded or if the building isn't zoned for the dance studio.

[32:46] But we can make it better by

[32:50] being a good community-

[32:52] Mm-hmm

[32:52] ... being a good neighbor, and

[32:55] yeah, just taking care of our own. So thank you.

[32:59] Great. Thank you for your comments. Anybody else?

[33:04] All right. Come on up.

[33:09] All right. Your name and address, please.

[33:11] Hello, my name's Melissa Rooker. I live at 288 10th Wyandotte.

[33:15] My daughter is starting her 11th year at In Focus.

[33:19] It's a great studio, and we really do have a great group of parents that are

[33:24] willing to help

[33:26] in any way possible, like Ashley said, policing it if we need it.

[33:31] I think the number one thing is just working together.

[33:33] The new space, like I said, isn't bringing any more people.

[33:38] It's just helping our dancers expand what they've been learning into a space that

[33:42] fits them as the competition team has grown.

[33:45] When my dancer started, there was a much smaller competition team.

[33:49] And like Yvonne said, now that it's much bigger and they're doing more things, they

[33:53] need more space. As for the parking, it can be crazy back there just because people

[33:59] are coming and going, but I do think, for the most part, most of the people back

[34:03] there are very respectful. We try to police our own to the best that we can, but as

[34:09] other people said, there's always going to be a bad apple in every bunch.

[34:13] But I think as a studio, we would do whatever we could to make this positive move

[34:19] forward for our studio.

[34:20] Okay. Thank you very much. All right. Anybody else? Come on up.

[34:28] Hi.

[34:30] Hi.

[34:30] My name is Jessica Gomez. I live at 13672 Winter Southgate. I just have a comment.

[34:36] As a homeowner, I understand it's frustrating with parking issues, but I would hate

[34:41] that parking wars get in the way of allowing these girls to thrive and grow into a

[34:46] bigger space. They're keeping our kids off the street.

[34:49] We've been part of In Focus for six years now. We love it. They do amazing.

[34:55] So I would really hate that. And I think that this is an issue that can be resolved

[35:01] and not depriving them from being able to thrive.

[35:06] Okay. Thank you.

[35:06] Thank you.

[35:07] All right.

[35:10] Okay. I just really wanted to quickly sum it up.

[35:13] Yeah.

[35:13] Thank you to all the parents and dancers who came.

[35:16] In terms of the parking, I was not aware of the neighborhood.

[35:20] I'd never heard from any of the neighbors regarding it.

[35:23] Dennis, who is directly behind the studio, we've talked many times, and we've never

[35:28] had an issue. Regarding DRC cleaning, we have had several interactions.

[35:33] To my knowledge, often I'm in the classroom with dancers, so I'm not in the lobby,

[35:38] but my office manager is out in the lobby, and as soon as any workers come over and

[35:43] said they're blocked, she runs out there and mitigates the situation, find out

[35:47] whose car, and ask them to move. I really appreciate what you said about the

[35:51] signage because that's something I've mentioned all along.

[35:54] Put up a no parking sign that my husband mentioned. No parking will be towed.

[35:58] Same thing with the alley. Because we do send emails to parents.

[36:02] We have notices on the doors. Like I said, a lot of them are just dropping and

[36:05] picking up, so they don't come into the building.

[36:08] We put notes in there, but most people don't come in unless they're coming to make

[36:11] a payment. So, and to finalize, we have been there.

[36:16] This is our 18th season, and a lot of these kids have been with me their whole

[36:20] time. But I have to say that if we aren't able to expand, we probably will be

[36:24] winding up because we need more space to keep up with the environment and the

[36:29] competition.

[36:30] Great.

[36:30] Thank you.

[36:31] Do you guys have any questions from the board?

[36:33] The only thing I say is contact the police department, see if we can get that no

[36:38] parking violation-

[36:39] Yeah, for sure

[36:40] ... will be towed. That always puts people...

[36:43] You can put a handicap sign up, and people parking them all the time.

[36:47] Right

[36:48] But if you say, "No parking, violators will be towed,"

[36:54] that strikes home.

[36:56] 100%, yeah.

[36:57] Because you go out and all of a sudden your car is not there.

[37:00] Right. And one person tells everyone it happened, and then it doesn't happen.

[37:03] Right. Okay.

[37:04] Good idea.

[37:06] Okay. Thank you so much. All right, we've heard from the public, so we will close

[37:11] the public portion of this appeal and entertain a motion.

[37:15] I make a motion to approve.

[37:17] Okay.

[37:18] I support.

[37:20] Okay.

[37:23] Discussion, anybody on the board?

[37:24] The only discussion I have is it doesn't seem as bad as the Hatfields and McCoys,

[37:30] but I definitely think that communication is a way to resolve all problems.

[37:36] So I say communicate. If somebody's upset about something or somebody's concerned

[37:42] about something, try to address it together.

[37:45] So that's about the only comment I have.

[37:49] Okay.

[37:49] Is there something that we can do a recommendation to the police department

[37:55] or have engineering do a recommendation to the police department or DPW?

[37:59] Because who puts up the signs? It's the DPW that puts up the signs.

[38:05] Yeah. I

[38:06] know Jesus is coming up to talk on that, but the owner can always contact the

[38:11] police and-

[38:12] Right. Yeah

[38:12] ... the DPW directly.

[38:15] Based on the discussion and hearing everything regarding the alley, I can certainly

[38:21] send a request to the police department to review it and see what signage they'll

[38:26] allow. So I'll initiate that tomorrow morning.

[38:29] Okay.

[38:29] Thank you.

[38:30] I appreciate it.

[38:31] Thank you.

[38:31] You would take it. And then we'll just let him handle that, Dan. Thank you.

[38:34] Yes.

[38:34] It doesn't have to be part of the motion.

[38:36] Right.

[38:36] Okay, any other comments? All right, so we have a motion to approve Mr.

[38:40] Flaksam, seconded by Mr. Simchuk. Can you call roll, please?

[38:44] Member Duran?

[38:45] Yes.

[38:45] Flaxman?

[38:46] Yes.

[38:46] Gillan?

[38:47] Yes.

[38:47] Hammill?

[38:48] Yes.

[38:48] Simchuk?

[38:49] Yes.

[38:50] Okay, you're all set.

[38:53] All right, we're going to have the engineering department work with the police

[38:57] department on maybe putting up some signage.

[38:59] And so you'll be hearing from them here probably in the next couple of weeks.

[39:03] And so we'll work with them, and they'll make sure that everything's taken care of

[39:07] in the best way for the parents to have a place to drop kids off, pick them up, but

[39:11] not block the alley and cause a big bottleneck. Okay?

[39:14] Thank you very much for coming. Appreciate it.

[39:17] Thank you.

[39:19] Thank you. Okay.

[39:21] All right. Is there any other business to discuss, please? No?

[39:25] And I apologize, I know we're not on recording, but Ian Hammill is a new member, so

[39:30] please welcome him. So welcome. He's taking over for Ted.

[39:34] Ted Winklot unfortunately had to resign due to some health concerns.

[39:38] And so we wish Ted the best, we wish him well in Illinois.

[39:42] And yeah, we've got Ian here to step in, so we're all set.

[39:46] Just whole complement of members.

[39:50] Our next meeting is Wednesday, October 7th. Guys, can you go outside?

[39:55] Hello. We're still in a meeting, so could you guys go outside in the hall,

[40:01] please? Thank you.

[40:03] Thanks. Okay, so our next meeting is October 7th, so hopefully you can all make it.

[40:08] If you can't, please let Julie know so we know we have a quorum ahead of time.

[40:12] And motion to place all communications on file?

[40:16] Yes.

[40:17] Support? Okay. Motion to adjourn.

[40:20] Motion to adjourn.

[40:21] Support by Mr. Simchuk. Thank you, everybody, for joining us, and God bless

[40:24] Wyndotte. We'll see you in October

Wyandotte Zoning Board Meeting - 9/2/26

Agenda

Transcript