1-15-2013 2:48am

City Planners Make Annual Report to Council

2012 was a little busier than the previous year for city planners.

City Superintendent Gary Roubal and Planning Commission Chairman Jack Ceo presented the planning commission’s annual report to city council Monday night.

Here are some of the projects city planners worked on in 2012:

· Final site plan for the Mobil station at 777 W. Michigan Ave. The station opened in October.

· Site plan and special use for the assisted living center at 650 Woodland Drive East. Phase one of Linden Square, which features 57 units, is well underway.

· A site plan amendment converted 22,000 square feet of a formal hospital/patient wing at St. Joseph’s Hospital into the Redies Rehabilitation Center at Evangelical Homes.

· Expansion of Norgren’s industrial facility at 1323 Woodland Drive.

· Amended site plan for the renovations on the redesigned building that will be home to Bank of Ann Arbor at 179 E. Michigan Ave.

· A 1,300 square-foot meeting room at R&B Plastics, 1605 E. Woodland Dr.

· Site plan amendment to allow a shed at the Saline District Library.

· Site plan amendment to allow for additional parking at the JAC Products building, located at the former home of Chelsea Industries.

Still, some projects remain dormant.

For the second straight year, the planning commission extended site plans for the Electropop (1200 Woodland Drive), Clean-Getaway Car Wash (121 Sage Court), and Banks of Saline (232 Monroe Street). Roubal told council that the car wash was 90 percent complete when work stopped. According to Roubal, the owner can’t find a buyer.

Roubal also pointed to two important ordinance changes. The city’s new form based code, which went into effect Monday, will give property owners more freedom to develop their property downtown. The planning commission also added a section to the home-based business ordinance. The change allows homeowners to use their homes for a wider array of business in certain locations of the city. Roubal said the planning commission also made a point of promoting “green” aspects of developments in 2012.

Joining Chairman Ceo on the board in 2013 are Vice Chair Stewart Davis, Mayor Brian Marl, City Councilor Dean Girbach, Cheryl Hoeft, Scott Lemm, Walt Byers, Catherine Scull and Bill Beardsley.

(Editor's Note: We've corrected the omission of Cheryl Hoeft in the list of 2013 planning commission members).