City Of Northville: Master Plan Update Sent To Local Communities

Press release from the City of Northville:

10/07/2021

Translate A recap of the City Council meeting held Oct. 4, 2021.

Legislative Update – A recap of the City Council meeting held Oct. 4, 2021.

Legislative Update – State Senator Dayna Polehanki provided City Council with an update on matters relevant to her district, which covers several Wayne County municipalities, including Northville city and township.

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• She has secured $50,000 in government funding for the Living and Learning Enrichment Center, calling it “a wonderful place for kids with autism.” A portion will be spent on the center’s IT program which educates clients in that field so they can obtain jobs that support their independence.

• She has joined with Attorney General Dana Nessel in conducting a listening tour to hear how electrical customers are affected by power outages. These elected officials and others are trying to hold utilities more accountable for frequent outages.

• She and State Rep. Matt Koleszar obtained $1 million in state funding (Land Bank) for the MITC corridor, a multi-municipal project which she says will attract jobs and be good for the community.

• She noted that the Arbor Hills landfill, one of the largest in the country, recently settled a lawsuit that requires it to pay a combined fine of $750,000 to the state and federal government, and reduce emissions, in part by installing sulfur treatment equipment.

• She has introduced legislation that involves fines for people who threaten school board members or any school employee, citing an increase in “nasty rhetoric” at public meetings.

Council member Barbara Moroski-Browne asked the senator if the bill could be expanded to cover city officials. Polehanki said a legislative colleague is working on a companion bill for that purpose. Moroski-Browne also wanted to know if part of the Arbor Hills fine could be given back to the local community to be used for PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – manmade chemicals) testing in the Rouge River tributary or to make improvements to Johnson Creek. Sen. Polehanki said she would check into that.

Master Plan update heads to “neighboring communities” for review – City Council members, with Andrew Krenz excluding himself, voted to approve the Planning Commission’s request to distribute the final draft of the Master Plan Update to local communities (Northville Township, Novi, Southeast Michigan Council of Government – SEMCOG, Oakland and Wayne counties, utilities, railroads, and others requesting it) for their input over a 42-day review period. The mayor and council members thanked commissioners, along with City Planner Sally Elmiger, for their steadfast work on the document over the past two years. They also applauded the public involvement, encouraged by the PC, at meetings, through letters and emails, and in workshops, to create, develop and finalize the document. When the draft document returns from neighboring communities, the PC will convene a public hearing and then decide, after hearing all comments, whether to revise the document or adopt it as written. The final step will be for the Planning Commission to send the Master Plan update to City Council for acceptance.

Council comments

Mayor Brian Turnbull noted that Northville had a lively weekend with several community events, ranging from the Skeletons are Alive kick-off and Rotary bike Tour de Ville to the Crop Walk for charity.

Council Member Barbara Moroski-Browne thanked Leanie Bayly for her work on the grant application to SHPO (State Historic Preservation Office), which seeks $48,000 to update the design standards for Northville’s Historic District. She also thanked Administrative Assistant Michelle Massel and Finance Director Sandi Wiktoroski for their assistance with the grant. She said the Riverwalk Task Force will meet next on Oct. 14 (public welcome) and a draft of the framework plan is nearly complete.

Andrew Krenz said the Farmers’ Market last met on Sept. 30 and reviewed site concept designs done pro bono by architect Keith Kohler. The next meeting is Oct. 27 (public welcome). He noted that he and City Manager Pat Sullivan will meet again with the owner of the property at 550 W. 7 Mile (potential site of new Farmers Market) and also are planning to meet with the owner of the adjacent site. Plans have been drawn up for a single plot and dual plot.

Patrick Giesa had no updates on the Sustainability Team. (Turnbull thanked Giesa for his involvement in planning the Rotary bike Tour de Ville.)

Public comments

John Forslund, 350 Lake, said he is continuing to get floodwater in his garage following heavy rain, including from the thunderstorm on Oct. 3. He and his wife, Kim, are urgently seeking a solution to the problem of street flooding on Lake Street. He said he has lived in Northville for 30 years and the rain water accumulation has never been this heavy. DPW Interim Director Mike Domine said city engineering consultants have looked at Lake Street and nearby streets recently and are working on a proposal to better contain stormwater when those streets are reconstructed in 2022. Domine also said some grates on storm drains north of Lake Street were covered by leaves, which sent the overflow to other drains. Some of the lower drains had too much water rushing in and couldn’t absorb it all, which contributed to the problem. Domine sent the street sweeper out on Monday, Oct. 4, to clear leaves from grates.

Amy Luebke, 421 Horton, who lives behind the Forslunds, said she wants to advocate for a near-term solution to the street flooding problem. She said something has changed in the neighborhood that is contributing to street flooding and wondered if it could be the new construction on her street. In addition, she asked city officials to strongly enforce the new construction site ordinance.

View video here.

• She has joined with Attorney General Dana Nessel in conducting a listening tour to hear how electrical customers are affected by power outages. These elected officials and others are trying to hold utilities more accountable for frequent outages.

• She and State Rep. Matt Koleszar obtained $1 million in state funding (Land Bank) for the MITC corridor, a multi-municipal project which she says will attract jobs and be good for the community.

• She noted that the Arbor Hills landfill, one of the largest in the country, recently settled a lawsuit that requires it to pay a combined fine of $750,000 to the state and federal government, and reduce emissions, in part by installing sulfur treatment equipment.

• She has introduced legislation that involves fines for people who threaten school board members or any school employee, citing an increase in “nasty rhetoric” at public meetings.

Council member Barbara Moroski-Browne asked the senator if the bill could be expanded to cover city officials. Polehanki said a legislative colleague is working on a companion bill for that purpose. Moroski-Browne also wanted to know if part of the Arbor Hills fine could be given back to the local community to be used for PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – manmade chemicals) testing in the Rouge River tributary or to make improvements to Johnson Creek. Sen. Polehanki said she would check into that.

Master Plan update heads to “neighboring communities” for review – City Council members, with Andrew Krenz excluding himself, voted to approve the Planning Commission’s request to distribute the final draft of the Master Plan Update to local communities (Northville Township, Novi, Southeast Michigan Council of Government – SEMCOG, Oakland and Wayne counties, utilities, railroads, and others requesting it) for their input over a 42-day review period. The mayor and council members thanked commissioners, along with City Planner Sally Elmiger, for their steadfast work on the document over the past two years. They also applauded the public involvement, encouraged by the PC, at meetings, through letters and emails, and in workshops, to create, develop and finalize the document. When the draft document returns from neighboring communities, the PC will convene a public hearing and then decide, after hearing all comments, whether to revise the document or adopt it as written. The final step will be for the Planning Commission to send the Master Plan update to City Council for acceptance.

Council comments

Mayor Brian Turnbull noted that Northville had a lively weekend with several community events, ranging from the Skeletons are Alive kick-off and Rotary bike Tour de Ville to the Crop Walk for charity.

Council Member Barbara Moroski-Browne thanked Leanie Bayly for her work on the grant application to SHPO (State Historic Preservation Office), which seeks $48,000 to update the design standards for Northville’s Historic District. She also thanked Administrative Assistant Michelle Massel and Finance Director Sandi Wiktoroski for their assistance with the grant. She said the Riverwalk Task Force will meet next on Oct. 14 (public welcome) and a draft of the framework plan is nearly complete.

Andrew Krenz said the Farmers’ Market last met on Sept. 30 and reviewed site concept designs done pro bono by architect Keith Kohler. The next meeting is Oct. 27 (public welcome). He noted that he and City Manager Pat Sullivan will meet again with the owner of the property at 550 W. 7 Mile (potential site of new Farmers Market) and also are planning to meet with the owner of the adjacent site. Plans have been drawn up for a single plot and dual plot.

Patrick Giesa had no updates on the Sustainability Team. (Turnbull thanked Giesa for his involvement in planning the Rotary bike Tour de Ville.)

Public comments

John Forslund, 350 Lake, said he is continuing to get floodwater in his garage following heavy rain, including from the thunderstorm on Oct. 3. He and his wife, Kim, are urgently seeking a solution to the problem of street flooding on Lake Street. He said he has lived in Northville for 30 years and the rain water accumulation has never been this heavy. DPW Interim Director Mike Domine said city engineering consultants have looked at Lake Street and nearby streets recently and are working on a proposal to better contain stormwater when those streets are reconstructed in 2022. Domine also said some grates on storm drains north of Lake Street were covered by leaves, which sent the overflow to other drains. Some of the lower drains had too much water rushing in and couldn’t absorb it all, which contributed to the problem. Domine sent the street sweeper out on Monday, Oct. 4, to clear leaves from grates.

Amy Luebke, 421 Horton, who lives behind the Forslunds, said she wants to advocate for a near-term solution to the street flooding problem. She said something has changed in the neighborhood that is contributing to street flooding and wondered if it could be the new construction on her street. In addition, she asked city officials to strongly enforce the new construction site ordinance.

View video here.

This press release was produced by the City of Northville. The views expressed here are the author’s own.