Ferndale

When:

No meetings scheduled at this time

Where:

N/A

UPDATE - 10/10/2019

The site plan was approved at the recent October 2, 2019 Planning Commission meeting with the following conditions associated with the development:

1. Final engineering details are submitted with building plans, including:

Detailed engineering design plans are required and must be sealed by a professional engineer.
An OCWRC Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control permit may be required.
A long-term stormwater maintenance agreement will be required.
The applicant should schedule fire flow testing to ensure adequate water pressure and flow is available at this location.

2. Fire Department requirements shall be included as part of the building plan submittal, including:

If fire suppression is to be installed, then a Knox key box would be required.

3. The applicant shall revise the photometric plan to include increased lighting in the open space and alley for safety to be reviewed by staff.

4. A sidewalk shall be added along the east side of Burdette Street along the development.

5. Interior trash rooms shall be located inside The Station building and 621 Vester Street.

6. Phase 3 of the project shall not begin unless the applicant has either provided sufficient parking spaces on-site or through a shared parking agreement so as not to require a parking waiver, or the applicant has returned to Planning Commission for new site plan approval and requested a parking reduction.

7. The subject parcels shall be combined through the City process.

8. The applicant shall provide an acceptable agreement for improvements to the public alley to be undertaken by the developer and to be entered into with the City.

The next steps for the development team include appearing in front of City Council for final approval of the Special Land Use considering the outdoor restaurant seating use which was recommended for approval by Planning Commission on October 2, 2019. In addition, the development team must submit their final site plan for staff review, including the conditions mentioned above.

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Development History

A new site plan was submitted August 2019. The development team held a community meeting on Wednesday, September 26th, 2019 at the Incubizo office.

Vester Square is a proposed redevelopment at the Search Optics/Incubizo campus, located near the corner of Vester and Burdette streets. The project proposes to integrate existing developments, such as Search Optics main office, Incubizo, and Voyager restaurant, along with new open space, office, retail, restaurant, and mixed-use residential development in a unifying plan. New proposed structures include the renovation of 621 Vester (an addition of 1,600 sq. ft. with minor site improvements), "The Station" building (a 4,510 sq. ft. building development with potential restaurant and retail), and a newly constructed 6,048 sq. ft. mixed use development with 8 upper level residential units and ground floor commercial/office space. The project is proposed for 3 phases of construction.

Due to the outdoor restaurant seating proposal, this project is also requesting a special land use for that particular use as the C-2 General Commercial requires a special land use for outdoor seating. The public hearing for this request will be held on the October 2nd meeting, along with the site plan review in front of Planning Commission.

Livernois Street, from 8 Mile Road to 9 Mile Road, will be resurfaced in 2018 with a number of new improvements in keeping with best practices in street design. Improvements will include:

-Newly Asphalt Paved Street

-Protected Bike Lanes (concrete island, parking, and bollard protected)

-Striped On-street Parking

-Mid-block Crossings

-Curb Extensions

-Additional Bicycle Parking (and moving bike parking off-street)

-Bicycle Boxes

-Public Plaza at W. Nine Mile/Livernois intersection

-New mast arm traffic signal at W. Nine Mile/Livernois intersection

-Fire Department Safety Signage

Community information sessions will be held at the Kulick Community Center (1201 Livernois) at 11am and 6pm on Thursday, April 26tth. Details will include construction timing, staging, temporary parking solutions, and overall plans.

What is the estimated time frame of construction? Approximately, June 4, 2018 – November 10, 2018
Why is this project happening now? The Livernois resurfacing is a Federally funded project and has been scheduled a number of years in advance. The road surface is also deteriorating enough that new resurfacing is needed. While newly striped bike lanes, striped on-street parking, and safer pedestrian crossings are a benefit of the project, resurfacing the street is the primary goal of the project.
What is the project area? Livernois, between 8 Mile Road and W. Nine Mile Road. The Livernois and W. Nine Mile intersection will also be reconfigured with a new mast arm signal.
How will construction affect the road during the estimated time frame? Construction efforts will be staggered/phased so that only one section is being fully disrupted at any given time. There will always be a minimum of one lane open in each direction on Livernois, but on-street parking will be temporarily removed.
How will the City assist businesses during construction? The City will be holding construction update meetings as needed and providing information through email. There will also be designated parking spaces at the Kulick Community Center (1201 Livernois) for business employees and customers to "park and walk" to businesses. Wayfinding signage and shareable materials will be created and shared as necessary. Staff is exploring additional temporary parking solutions in advance of construction. If you would like to stay informed regarding the project, please sign up for updates by emailing ced@ferndalemi.gov.
Would removing bike lanes add more on-street parking? No, in the current bike lane configuration and the new protected bike lane configuration, additional on-street parking would not be added. The current parking areas on Livernois are existing, non-conforming and do not have the appropriate distance from driveways and corners required in new parking areas. However, on-street parking areas will be better striped for intersection visibility and to limit parking that happens in conflict with driveways.
Why do we want protected bike lanes? Protected bike lanes provide a safer street for everyone and have been shown to increase ridership on streets where protected infrastructure has been installed. Separation from automobiles prevents potential collisions with vehicles (including "dooring"), limits automobiles from parking or loading in the bike lane, shortens crossing distances for pedestrians, and acts as traffic calming to limit vehicle speeds. For more information, click here.
How will the protected bike lanes be maintained in the winter? DPW has equipment that will be used to clear snow and ice from protected bike lanes. The bike lanes were planned in partnership with DPW to be sure plows could fit between protected areas and the curb.
Will bike parking areas still be in the street? Bike parking will be moved off-street in greenbelt and other public area to provide ample bike parking closer to businesses and limit potential conflicts with automobiles and bikes.

Submit A Comment

Location: Livernois, between 9 Mile and 8 Mile

Construction Plans

Review draft engineered drawings of the draft Livernois resurfacing plans at this link.

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Livernois Street Resurfacing

Construction Plans

CONTACT INFORMATION

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