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CITY OF MUSKEGON
PLANNING COMMISSION
REGULAR MEETING
DATE OF MEETING: Thursday, November 12, 2013
TIME OF MEETING: 4:00 p.m.
PLACE OF MEETING: Commission Chambers, First Floor, Muskegon City Hall
AGENDA
I. Roll Call
II. Approval of Minutes from the special meeting of October 31, 2013.
III. Public Hearings
IV. New Business
a. Case 2013-13: Request for a site plan review for an addition to the building at 990
Terrace St, by Muskegon County.
V. Old Business
VI. Other
VII. Adjourn
AMERICAN DISABILITY ACT POLICY FOR ACCESS TO OPEN MEETING OF THE
CITY COMMISSION AND ANY OF ITS COMMITTEES OR SUBCOMMITTEES
The City of Muskegon will provide necessary reasonable auxiliary aids and services, such as signers for the hearing impaired
and audio tapes of printed materials being considered at the meeting, to individuals with disabilities who want to attend the
meeting, upon twenty-four hour notice to the City of Muskegon. Individuals with disabilities requiring auxiliary aids or
services should contact the City of Muskegon by writing or calling the following:
Ann Marie Cummings, City Clerk
933 Terrace Street
Muskegon, MI 49440
(231) 724-6705
TTY/TDD: Dial 7-1-1 and request that a representative dial 231-724-6705
Case 2013-13: Request for a site plan review for an addition to the building at 990 Terrace St, by
Muskegon County.
STAFF OBSERVATIONS
1. Muskegon County will be expanding its current jail facility at 990 Terrace St. The entire
addition will be located on the same parcel as the current jail and Hall of Justice.
2. The parcel is zoned B-5, Governmental Services district. One principal use permitted in
this district is listed as “Expansion of an existing secure correctional facility operated by
the Muskegon County Sheriff's Department.”
3. The parcel measures 3.65 acres. The current Hall of Justice and jail measure 29,849 sqft.
The building addition measures 29,960 sqft over five stories and is 62’ tall.
4. The County was granted a variance from the ZBA in October to construct a portion of the
building no less than 2’6” from the front property line on Pine St. This will be a screened
area that will host mechanical equipment.
5. The building addition will be constructed on the current parking lot. 166 parking spaces
will be lost, while 46 spaces will stay on site. There is also the current additional parking
lot across Pine St (92 spaces) and the County was also recently received site plan approval
for another parking lot at 902 Pine St (46 new spaces). Those plans include the demo of
the former antiques mall. There will be a net loss of 74 spaces; however, staff feels that
the number of parking spaces is adequate for this type of development.
6. The plan calls for bump outs to be placed on both sides of Pine St near the corner of Pine
and Walton and near the southern entrance to calm traffic for pedestrians. These
improvements will be paid for by Muskegon County.
7. The landscaping plan exceeds the requirements of the zoning ordinance. There will be an
addition of 39 trees and multiple raised planting beds consisting of shrubs and flowers.
8. The Fire, Police, Engineering, Planning and Public Works Departments have reviewed the
plans and do not have any concerns. The consultants have worked closely with staff on the
development of the site plan.
990 Terrace St
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Zoning Map
Aerial Map
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Standards for Site Plan approval:
Prior to approving a site plan, the City shall require that the following standards be
satisfied:
a. Schedule of Regulations: The site plan shall comply with the requirements for height, lot
size, yard space, density and all other requirements as set forth in the district regulations.
b. Other codes and standards: To the extent necessarily shown in the site plan, it shall
comply with other applicable City codes and standards.
c. Compatibility with surrounding land use and development: All elements shall be located,
designed and organized in relation to topography, the size and configuration of the parcel,
the character of adjoining property and the type and size of the buildings. The site shall be
developed so as not to impede the normal and orderly development or improvements of
surrounding property for uses permitted in this Zoning Ordinance.
d. Preservation of natural features: The landscape shall be preserved in its natural state,
insofar as practical, by removing only those areas of vegetation or making those alterations
to the topography which are reasonably necessary to develop the site.
e. Landscaping: Landscape buffers and greenbelts shall be provided and designed in
accordance with the provisions of this Ordinance. Fences, walks, barriers and landscaping
shall be used, as appropriate, for the protection and enhancement of the property and for
the privacy of occupants and neighbors.
f. Stormwater management: Drainage design shall recognize existing natural drainage
patterns. Stormwater removal shall not adversely affect neighboring properties or the
public storm drainage system. Provisions shall be made to accommodate stormwater on-
site, using sound engineering practices.
g. Soil erosion control: Appropriate measures shall be taken to ensure compliance with state
and local soil and sedimentation control regulations.
h. Wetlands Protection: The natural retention or storage capacity of any wetland, water body,
or water course will not be substantially reduced or altered in a way which could increase
flooding or water pollution at the site or other locations.
i. Emergency Access: All site improvements and structures shall be arranged so as to permit
necessary emergency vehicle access and to comply with the locally adopted fire code.
j. Public streets and private roads: All uses must have access to a public street or a private
road. All streets and curb cuts shall be developed in accordance with City specifications,
the Michigan Department of Transportation, and/or private road regulations of the City,
whichever applies.
k. Access Management: Streets and drives on a site shall be of a width appropriate to the
traffic volume they will carry and shall have adequate paved areas for vehicles. Traffic
mitigation techniques such as on-site parallel access lanes, rear access lanes, deceleration
lanes and traffic calming measures may be required. Shared curb cuts and access ways
may also be required.
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l. Site Circulation and Parking: Parking areas shall meet the requirements of this ordinance.
All parking spaces and circulation patterns shall be marked. Curb stops or curbing may be
required to prevent encroachment on required setbacks and screening. Provisions for on-
site maneuvering of vehicles shall be made so as to discourage backing and movements of
trucks on abutting public streets. On site traffic control signs shall be visible and
understandable.
m. Pedestrian safety: The on-site pedestrian circulation system shall be separated as
completely and reasonably as possible from the vehicular circulation system. In order to
ensure public safety, special pedestrian measures such as sidewalks, crosswalks, and other
such facilities may be required for the development. The site circulation shall be connected
to existing or planned streets and pedestrian or bicycle pathways in the area as appropriate.
n. Site amenities: The site plan shall provide outdoor common areas and associated amenities
for employees, customers and/or residents which may include public trash receptacles, bike
racks, seating areas, recreation areas, shade trees, bus stop turn-outs, and similar facilities
where appropriate.
o. Utility Service: The development must be adequately served by necessary public services
and shall not impose an undue burden on public services and infrastructure. All utilities
for new construction shall be placed underground. Any installations which must remain
above ground shall be compatible with those on adjacent properties.
p. Lighting: Exterior lighting shall be arranged so it is deflected away from adjacent
properties and so it does not impede the vision of traffic along adjacent streets. Flashing or
intermittent lights shall not be permitted. Design of lighting fixtures shall be compatible
with those on adjacent properties. Light poles and fixtures shall be no higher than twenty-
five (25) feet.
q. Signs: The size, location, and lighting of all permanent signs shall be consistent with the
requirements of this Ordinance.
r. Accessibility: All sites shall be designed to comply with barrier-free requirements.
s. State and Federal Mandates: The site plan shall demonstrate compliance with any state or
federal statute, regulation or ruling, whether general or site specific, which is applicable to
the property. This shall include without limitation any legally enforceable restrictions on
development or improvements which have been communicated or required by a state or
federal agency. It shall include, without limitation, requirements of laws, regulations,
rulings or agency requirements concerning environmental protection, waste management,
floodplains, soil and sedimentation, protection of ground or surface water resources, soil
conditions, and the presence of hazardous materials in or contamination of soils, air and
water pollution matters and provisions which are designed for or reasonably related to the
protection of the public health, safety or welfare. The applicant shall demonstrate that all
said statutes, regulations, rulings, or requirements have been satisfied by its site plan and
that there are no State or Federal agencies which have required, or are in the process of
requiring, any additional action, restriction or compliance. In the event a property is the
subject of any governmental regulatory action or requirement, or without limitation, the
property is located in the "facility" as defined by state or federal law, the state or federal
agency responsible for the applicable regulation shall be notified in writing of the filing of
the site plan and any hearing regarding the application for approval.
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends approval of the request for site plan approval for the building addition.
DETERMINATION
The following motion is offered for consideration:
I move that the site plan for a building addition at 990 Terrace St, be (approved/denied/tabled),
with the following conditions(if any):
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