The meeting was called to order at or about 7:00 PM.

Public hearing for Planning Commission’s recommendation to the City Council for an ordinance to amend the City of Novi Zoning Ordinance at Article 25, General Provisions, Section 2516, Site Plan Review (all districts); in order to allow administrative approval of Site Plans proposing a reduction in building size from a previously approved plan.

Planner Kapelanski said this text amendment is in response to some inquires staff has received proposing a reduction in size for a building that is part of an already approved site plan. Such a revision would presently have to be approved by the Planning Commission. In order to further streamline the ordinance, staff has drafted the proposed amendment to allow administrative approval of a reduction in building size when the site is part of an already approved site plan. The Planning Commission is asked to hold a public hearing and forward a recommendation to the Council this evening.

1. SET PUBLIC HEARING FOR SEPTEMBER 12, 2012 FOR ZONING ORDINANCE TEXT AMENDMENT 18.263 FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATIONS

   Planner Campbell said the City of Novi continues to make strides toward a greener, more energy efficient and sustainable community. In and around our municipal buildings, the City has made a number of improvements to cut energy use and has also adopted standards to allow green measures on private developments. Zoning Ordinance amendments were recently adopted to address the installation of solar energy collectors and wind turbines on private property.

   The City continues to protect natural features with the woodlands and wetlands protection ordinances as well as the stormwater management and soil erosion prevention requirements. Consistent with these ongoing efforts by the City to go green, the Planning Staff has drafted a text amendment to the off-street parking requirements within Section 2505 of the Zoning Ordinance intended to address plug-in electric vehicle charging stations and charging spaces.

   Planner Campbell continued noting the intent of the amendment is two-fold. The first intent is to encourage but not require that every new or expanded commercial parking lot within the City have the infrastructure in place to be electric vehicle ready. This would include the construction of a new parking lot or expansion of an existing parking lot. The ordinance encourages but does not require that the applicant install conduit under the sub base before the parking lot is installed so that if and when the future owner, tenant or existing owner wishes to install electric vehicle charging stations the infrastructure would already be in place. The second intent is to provide reasonable standards for the design and installation of charging stations and spaces in commercial parking lots. The City encourages these stations and these spaces but does not want them to impede pedestrian and barrier free access or encroach on any of required setbacks. Electric vehicle charging spaces would be treated as a standard parking space for the purpose of calculating minimum parking requirements so that the applicant would not necessarily get penalized for providing charging spaces. The City would also require the state standard plug in vehicle charging station signs and pavement markings to be installed in the parking lot if an applicant were to want to install these spaces in the stations.

   By 2015, all major automotive manufacturers will offer plug in vehicles including plug in hybrids for sale. It’s difficult to predict how quickly the plug in vehicles will be absorbed into the market but the general consensus among industry analysts is that between two and five percent of all new vehicle sales by 2020 will be some form of a plug in vehicle. Therefore it makes sense that at least 2% of the parking spaces in off-street parking lots are electric vehicle ready. The Planning staff modeled the language of the plug in vehicle text amendment after a similar ordinance recently adopted by the City of Auburn Hills which was the first community in Michigan to adopt an ordinance of its kind. Auburn Hills along with the Ann Arbor Base Clean Energy Collation is encouraging communities in southeast Michigan to adopt similar standards as a regional economic development measure to attract technology based companies that seek out locations in progressive green communities. Both the Clean Energy Collation and the Community Development Director of Auburn Hills have reviewed Novi’s proposed text amendment and were in favor of it. Auburn Hills even saw some things that they wish to propose in their updated ordinance. The Planning Commission is asked to schedule a public hearing for the proposed text amendment for September 12^th. Should the Planning Commission so choose, following that public hearing they can make a recommendation to the City Council to adopt the proposed text amendment for plug in electric vehicles.

   Moved by Member Gutman, seconded by Member Lynch:

   ROLL CALL VOTE ON MOTION TO SET A PUBLIC HEARING MADE BY MEMBER GUTMAN AND SECONDED BY MEMBER LYNCH.

   Motion to set a public hearing for September 12, 2012 for Text Amendment 18.263. Motion carried 4-0.

   　

2. APPROVAL OF JUNE 12, 2012 PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES

   Moved by Member Gutman, seconded by Member Lynch:

   ROLL CALL VOTE ON MOTION TO APPROVE THE JUNE 12, 2012 PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES MADE BY MEMBER GUTMAN AND SECONDED BY MEMBER LYNCH:

   Motion to approve the June 12, 2012 Planning Commission Minutes. Motion carried 4-0.

3. APPROVAL OF THE JULY 11, 2012 PLANINNG COMMISSION MINUTES

There were no Consent Agenda Removals.