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CITY OF MUSKEGON
PLANNING COMMISSION
REGULAR MEETING
MINUTES
July 13, 2006
Chairman J. Aslakson called the meeting to order at 4:02 p.m. and roll was taken.
MEMBERS PRESENT: B. Larson, B. Turnquist, S. Warmington, J. Aslakson, L. Spataro, T.
Harryman, B. Smith, T. Michalski, B. Mazade
MEMBERS ABSENT: None
STAFF PRESENT: L. Anguilm, D. Leafers
OTHERS PRESENT: P. LeBlanc, LSL Planning, Grand Rapids; J. Roberge, Hackley
Hospital, 1700 Clinton
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
A motion to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of June 15, 2006 was made by B.
Turnquist, supported by S. Warmington and unanimously approved.
PUBLIC HEARINGS
Hearing; Case 2006-25: Request to vacate the alley in Block 304 bounded by Laketon Avenue,
Leahy Street, Larch Avenue, and Hoyt Street, by Hackley Hospital. L. Anguilm presented the staff
report. Hackley Hospital has purchased all the homes in this block located in the southeast corner
of the hospital campus. The homes have been removed as part of the larger master plan to expand
the parking lot in the future. Vacation of the alley is necessary for these plans to move forward.
The Fire Department has no issue with this request. Engineering had no comments on this request.
The DPW had the following comment: “We have a sanitary sewer in the alley that is no longer in
use. Hackley Hospital can abandon the sewer or use it for future development”. Staff has received
no comments regarding this request and recommends approval.
P. LeBlanc provided some background information on the Hackley campus. He stated that there
were plans for a parking lot to be developed in the future, but the plans were not ready to be
presented at this meeting. They will come to Planning Commission for approval in the next few
months.
A motion to close the public hearing was made by T. Harryman, supported by B.Turnquist and
unanimously approved.
B. Mazade arrived at 4:10 p.m.
A motion that the vacation of the alley located in Block 304, bounded by Laketon Avenue, Leahy
Street, Larch Avenue, and Hoyt Street, be recommended to City Commission for approval, based on
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compliance with the City’s 1997 Master Land Use Plan, with the condition that all utility easements
are retained, was made by B. Turnquist, supported by B. Smith and unanimously approved.
Hearing; Case 2006-26: Request to vacate Leahy Street from Laketon Avenue to Larch Avenue,
and Larch Avenue from Hoyt Street to Leahy Street, by Hackley Hospital. L. Anguilm presented
the staff report. As stated in the previous case, Hackley Hospital has purchased all the homes in this
block and proceeded to demolish them for future expansion of their parking lot. The exact parking
lot site plan will be discussed in a subsequent case, but Leahy Street and Larch Avenue will no
longer be needed and will be incorporated into the parking lot as part of Hackley Hospital’s master
plan for their campus. The Fire Department has no outstanding issues with this request. The DPW
has the following comments: “we need to maintain a utility easement with building restrictions. It
is possible that the utilities in Leahy could be abandoned; however, Hackley Hospital would need to
conduct a fire flow study to determine if there would be adequate fire flows in the event the water
main in Leahy was abandoned”. Engineering had no comments regarding the request. Staff has
received no comments regarding this request. Staff recommends approval of the request, with the
condition that all utility easements are retained.
T. Harryman asked what the procedure was for the demolition of homes. L. Anguilm stated that a
permit must be obtained from the City’s Inspection Department. T. Harryman asked the applicant if
the barriers that were currently erected along Hoyt St. would be removed. P. LeBlanc stated that
there would be a fence there eventually. T. Harryman asked if Leahy St. at Larch would be closed
off. J. Roberge stated that it would. T. Harryman asked if the entrance would be gated. J. Roberge
stated that it would not.
A motion to close the public hearing was made by B. Turnquist, supported by B. Larson and
unanimously approved.
L. Spataro stated that the City had previously asked Hackley Hospital to focus their expansion
toward Laketon Avenue, and they had done what was asked at their own expense. T. Harryman
was concerned that there was a slow walling-off of the campus from the surrounding neighborhood
and he was concerned about the impact on the neighborhood. T. Michalski shared those concerns
but stated at this point, he saw no reason to keep the streets open. T. Harryman stated that he was
glad to have Hackley Hospital as a neighbor, but he would like to see traffic and pedestrian flow
through the campus rather than having it closed off.
A motion that the vacation of Leahy Street from Laketon Avenue to Larch Avenue, and Larch
Avenue from Hoyt Street to Leahy Street be recommended to the City Commission for approval,
based on compliance with the City’s Master Land Use Plan, with the condition that all utility
easements be retained, was made by S. Warmington, supported by B. Larson and approved, with T.
Harryman voting nay.
Hearing; Case 2006-27: Request to rezone the properties located in the City of Muskegon Block
304, bounded by Laketon Avenue, Leahy Street, Larch Avenue, and Hoyt Street, from R-1, One
Family Residential District to MC, Medical Care District, by Hackley Hospital. L. Anguilm
presented the staff report. The property which is the subject of this request was purchased by
Hackley Hospital with plans to incorporate it into their hospital campus. It encompasses all
properties in Block 304 bounded by Laketon Avenue, Leahy Street, Larch Avenue, and Hoyt Street.
The request is to rezone the property from R-1, One Family Residential District to MC, Medical
Care District. The properties to the north and west are zoned MC, Medical Care District, and to the
Planning Commission Minutes – 07/13/06 2
south and east are zoned R-1, One Family Residential. The zoning ordinance states: “It is the
further intent of MC districts to assist and encourage the development of medical institutional land
uses in a campus setting which includes not only the primary buildings and structures, but also
campus support systems involving pedestrian and vehicular circulation, parking, signs. . .”, etc. The
City’s Future Land Use Map supports this zoning by indicating this block as “public/quasi public”,
as is the entire Hackley Hospital campus. The 1997 Master Land Use Plan states the following:
“Coordinate the City’s sub-area planning effort with that of Hackley Hospital on the development
of a campus master plan to ensure high quality integration of the medical facility with surrounding
neighborhoods and the roadway system”. Hackley Hospital has developed a campus master plan as
part of their expansion efforts in the city. Staff has received no comments regarding this request,
and recommends approval.
A motion to close the public hearing was made by B. Larson, supported by S. Warmington and
unanimously approved.
A motion that the request to rezone the property located in the City of Muskegon, Block 304
bounded by Laketon Avenue, Leahy Street, Larch Avenue, and Hoyt Street from R-1, One Family
Residential district to MC, Medical Care district as described in the public notice be recommended
for approval to the City Commission, pursuant to the City of Muskegon Zoning Ordinance and the
determination of compliance with the intent of the City Master Land Use Plan and zoning district
intent, was made by B. Larson, supported by S. Warmington and unanimously approved.
Hearing; Case 2006-29: Staff-initiated request to amend Section 2334 (Signs, #6,b) of Article
XXIII, to add wall signage for lawful institutional uses such as churches and schools. L. Anguilm
presented the staff report. When the sign ordinance was amended several years ago, wall signage
for churches and institutional uses was somehow omitted from the zoning ordinance. A recent
request for a all sign on a church brought this issue to staff’s attention and so the following revision
is recommended.
NEW LANGUAGE (Deletions are crossed out and additions are bold).
Changes to Section 2334, (#6): Signs b. Internally illuminated monument signs of up to thirty-two
(32) square feet, not exceeding eight (8) feet in height, and internally lit wall signs up to twenty-
four (24) square feet for lawful institutional uses such as churches and schools. Signs shall not
exceed eight feet in heights.
A motion to close the public hearing was made by S. Warmington, supported by T. Harryman and
unanimously approved.
A motion that the amendment to Sections 2334 (#6,b) of Article XXIII (Signs), of the City of
Muskegon Zoning Ordinance be recommended to the City Commission for approval, was made by
S. Warmington, supported by T. Harryman and unanimously approved.
NEW BUSINESS
Case 2006-28: Request for Site Plan Review for parking lot expansion and reconfiguration at the
Northeast corner of Laketon Avenue and Hoyt Street, by Hackley Hospital This item has been
requested to be tabled by the applicant. The final site plan was not ready by the deadline.
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A motion to table case 2006-28 was made by S. Warmington, supported by L. Spataro and
unanimously approved.
OTHER
H, Heritage Zoning District L. Spataro informed members that the Historic District Commission
had briefly discussed the issue of doing away with the H, Heritage zoning district and rezoning the
affected properties to R-1 or R-T, with an appropriate commercial zoning for Western Avenue and
parts of Clay Avenue. They will discuss the issue further at their August meeting and make a
recommendation to the Planning Commission.
L. Spataro wanted to make sure that the developers of the Terrace Lots installed sidewalks and that
they were shown on the site plans.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 4:27 p.m.
dml
7/13/06
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