Brent Bashaw

The key discussion topics for this meeting involve several requests for special approval land use. These include PPCM-1365 for a dental office conversion at 44547 Mound Road, PPCM-1366 for a restaurant and billiards hall at 40700 Van Dyke Avenue, PPCM-1363 for a tri-plex structure at 35459 Dodge Park Road, and PPCM-1367 for a restaurant and café at 3967 Seventeen Mile Road. Additionally, the commission will review a request for conditional rezoning (PZ26-0001) to develop a JAX Car Wash. The agenda also includes a postponed item (PPUD26-0001) regarding a steak and sushi restaurant with a hookah lounge use, and an update on the Zoning Ordinance Rewrite.

This special joint session convened the City Council, Planning Commission, and Zoning Board of Appeals for a discussion titled "Zoning 101," led by consultants from Giffels Webster. Key topics included the history of zoning, property rights, due process, equal protection, and constitutional limitations impacting zoning decisions. The consultants detailed the City's plan to substantially update the Zoning Ordinance, which has not been rewritten since the late 1970s, to align with the recently adopted Master Plan and Climate Action Plan. Discussions covered conventional (Euclidian) zoning versus modern trends like form-based codes and mixed uses. Feedback from board members centered on improving flexibility within the ordinance to reduce the need for variances, clarifying the Planned Unit Development (PUD) process, streamlining special land use approvals that currently require public hearings but are seldom denied, consolidating zoning districts (e.g., C-1 through C-4), and creating incentives for shared open space. Community communication included one resident speaking against short-term rentals.

The City Council meeting featured a significant presentation on Kratom, detailing its effects, risks, availability to youth, and ongoing legislative efforts (House Bill 4969) to regulate it, along with results from environmental scans in Sterling Heights. The Council subsequently requested a draft ordinance to limit the purchase of Kratom to those twenty-one and older. Other key discussions included updates on major street lighting projects on Mound Road and Metro Parkway, the scheduling of the Fiscal Year 2026/27 budget workshops, and the approval of a Real Estate Purchase Agreement for property adjacent to Rotary Park to preserve green space, funded partially through the Pathway to Play and Preservation Millage. The Council also honored two residents with the Nice Neighbor Award for assisting an elderly neighbor with property maintenance.

The meeting covered several committee reports and new business items. Key discussion points included the Reduce, Reuse, & Recycle Committee exploring a tiered award system for restaurants to encourage greener practices, and the potential use of a $9,000 fund for food scraps if the budget is approved. The Electrification, Efficiency, and Weatherization committee discussed DTE's proposed tariff for DC fast charging stations and the projected 8.5-year Return on Investment (ROI) for solar panel installations on City Hall, the Library, and the Police Department. The Trees committee reviewed ideas for Earth Day events, including potential collaboration with the Library for a sustainability book club and plans for required tree planting by developers along rights-of-way. Old Business included reviewing feedback on the Sustainability Plan Update and postponing the SCOAR Top 15 Action Items Update. New Business focused on postponing subcommittee mission statements and approving the 2025 Sustainability Commission Annual Report, which City Council requested include more recommendations for them in the future.

The agenda for the February 11, 2026 meeting included considerations for two key applications. The first is PPCM-1364, Sam's Restaurant, requesting special approval land use to operate a restaurant in a C-1 Local Convenience Business District, with the Office of Planning recommending approval subject to numerous conditions, including relocation of the dumpster and adherence to specific operating hours. The second item, PPUD26-0001, Steak and Sushi Restaurant, was subject to a postponement request from the Office of Planning until the March 11, 2026 meeting due to necessary state licensing review. The agenda also listed an update on the Zoning Ordinance Rewrite and scheduled time for Citizen Participation.