A new 35-unit residential condo complex is planned to be built in Garfield Township immediately to the south of the existing Birmley Hills Estates subdivision. Garfield Township planning commissioners will discuss the project at their 7pm meeting tonight (Wednesday), where they’ll also discuss updates on zoning violations Chick-fil-A received earlier this year and plans for a new hotel to go in next door to the restaurant.

Birmley Condos
Developer Steve Zakrajsek of T&R Investments has submitted an application seeking approval from Garfield Township to build a new condo development at the end of Farmington Drive and Birmley Estates Drive directly next to Birmley Hills Estates subdivision. The project calls for the construction of 35 single-family residential lots, ranging in size from 15,000 to 38,000 square feet. Approximately 14 percent of the 21.3-acre site will be preserved as open space – primarily consisting of forested hills – that will help “provide a natural buffer to portions of the Ashland Park and Traditions sites,” according to a township staff memo.

The condo complex will be served by water and sewer extending from the neighboring subdivision, as well as road extensions of Birmley Estates Drive and Farmington Court (both located off Birmley Road). “The proposed streets for this proposed project appear to be a logical extension of the street pattern for this area,” staff wrote. “Agencies including Metro Fire will also provide comments on streets and the impact of this project.”

The project appears to meet township zoning standards, according to the staff memo, which noted the development meets minimum lot area and setback requirements. Fences, lighting, landscaping, and parking will be handled as part of the design for each individual condo lot. “The proposed development consists of single-family homes, which is compatible with the existing single-family homes to the north and south,” staff wrote. “Sites to the west and east are currently vacant. There are no major adverse effects anticipated from the proposed development.”

Site condominiums are reviewed by both the planning commission and the township board of trustees. Planning commissioners will discuss the project tonight but are not expected to take any action. A public hearing is scheduled for November 9 at the planning commission level; if the application is approved after that, it will head to trustees for a final vote.

Chick-fil-A/Hotel
After receiving a zoning violation letter this spring from Garfield Township, Chick-fil-A has resolved one of the two major issues flagged in the letter, according to Township Planning Director John Sych: traffic backups from the drive-thru restaurant out onto US-31. Staff wrote to planning commissioners last week that drive-thru “queuing concerns have subsided with improved operation of the restaurant.” But parking remains an “unresolved” issue on the site, Sych tells The Ticker, including a lack of sufficient spaces. Chick-fil-A could resolve the violation by paving the lot, Sych says, but township staff are offering the restaurant flexibility as another option soon comes online: the construction of a planned adjacent hotel.

When Chick-fil-A submitted project plans for its new location at 2700 North US-31 between the Williams KIA and Williams Honda dealerships last year, the application noted that a second development phase would follow restaurant construction: a hotel to be built on the rear of the property, with a shared drive between the two businesses. The hotel will likely be a three-story building with up to 90-100 rooms (the hotel brand has not yet been announced). Jason Hill, who works for Chick-fil-A in new store construction, told planning commissioners earlier this year that the chain thought the hotel would be built in a similar timeframe as Chick-fil-A.

“We leased this property…specifically under the auspices that this would be co-developed with a hotel that had a shared parking agreement,” he said. “That hasn’t played out the way we had hoped.” Accordingly, Chick-fil-A only has 36 parking spaces and has resorted to using a temporary makeshift lot in the northeast corner of the site (pictured, upper right), which violates township zoning requirements. However, the hotel now appears ready to move ahead: a site plan for the project is under administrative review by township staff (hotels are a use-by-right, meaning the project doesn’t require special planning commission or township board approval).

The shared parking agreement between the two businesses will provide enough parking to resolve Chick-fil-A’s zoning issues, Sych says. As for a potential increase in traffic caused by the hotel, Sych notes the businesses have different peak hours – Chick-fil-A during the day, the hotel at night with overnight parking – and doesn’t anticipate the hotel addition will substantially change traffic patterns at the site. A service drive behind the businesses is also still on the table, with the goal of connecting at least Chick-fil-A to Lowe’s (and the US-31 light) and eventually expanding the drive to the Grand Traverse Mall if property owner approval can be secured for that stretch.