MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL
MEETING OF THE
PLANNING COMMISSION,
WHICH TOOK PLACE ON TUESDAY,
PRESENT: Planning Commissioners – Carol Alexander, Darla Rippee, Lee Thompson, Dale Wolfgang,
and Tom York
ABSENT: None
OTHERS PRESENT: Anthony
and Valerie Tousignant, Gene Maxwell, Tim Smith, Township Enforcement Officer,
and Dan Coe
The meeting was called to order by Chair, Tom York, at
Mr. Tousignant said they plan to enclose the impound lot
with a 6-foot high solid fence made of “barn metal,” installed
horizontally. The cars will not stay
there. It would not be a permanent
storage yard. They want to use the
garage as a place to work on their trucks.
He indicated there is still a lot of stuff on the site that was left
behind by the previous owner, and needs to be removed. They are working at cleaning up the
property. Someone is coming in to remove
all the old tires.
Valerie Tousignant said they are going to repaint the
building, and they will make the impound lot as secure as they can make
it.
Tom said his main concern is that an impound lot is
sometimes another name for a junk yard.
Mr. Tousignant responded that he will NOT have a junk yard. He said that according to the State, he has
20 days before he can file papers declaring a vehicle to be abandoned, and that
the owner has 20 days to respond. Taking
into consideration the time necessary for paper work, the maximum that a car
might be stored would be 60 days.
Tom recommended that a privacy fence be installed between
the Mid State Towing property and the residential property to the east. He suggested a wood fence extending from the
front of their building to the front of the fence that encloses the impound
lot.
Gene Maxwell, who owns the property to the east of the
subject site, expressed concern about the wrecker/towing business being a
“24/7” business, and the noise that would accompany such an operation seven
days a week. He also said his experience
has been that impound lots become junk yards.
Mr. Tousignant stated emphatically that he is not going to have his
property turn into a junk yard. He also
said that the wrecker service is a 24/7 operation, but the yard is not open
24/7.
Valerie acknowledged that she understood Mr. Maxwell’s
concern, and said the privacy fence should shield the noise of the trucks, and
noted that the gate is quite a distance from the Maxwell home.
Tony Tousignant said the impound lot will be lighted, and
Tom said it should be directional lighting that does not cast light directly
onto adjoining properties or the road.
Tim Smith suggested that the impound lot be moved to the
back of the property, which would make the business less likely to interfere
with the neighboring residential property.
Tom suggested the impound lot be moved back another 20 feet.
After discussion with Gene Maxwell, it was determined that a
privacy fence should extend from 30 feet north of the M-20 right-of-way to the
front of the Mid State Towing building.
Mr. Maxwell asked about runoff into the ditch that separates
his property from Mid State Towing, especially anti-freeze and oil. Mr. Tousignant responded that most of the
fluids from the vehicles are lost on the accident scene before they are brought
to his lot. He acknowledged that there
might be “a little bit there.” Valerie
asked that everyone keep in mind that “we make our living by getting those
vehicles out of there as soon as we can.”
Tim Smith asked how many vehicles they would expect to have
on the property at any one time, and Tony Tousignant said there would probably
be no more than 20 or 25.
Dale recommended that one condition of approval would be
that the fence is to be maintained in an orderly fashion and kept in good
repair.
It was moved by Darla Rippee, seconded by Dale Wolfgang,
that the Planning Commission approve the site plan for a wrecker and towing
business and impound lot at
1. That directional lighting of the impound area
be installed by
2. That a privacy fence be installed along the
east property line from a point 30 feet north of the M-20 right-of-way line to
the front line of the Mid State Towing building by November 1, 2007.
3. That the fenced impound area be moved back
(north) an additional 20 feet.
4. That the fence be maintained in an orderly
fashion and kept in good repair.
Vote on the motion:
YEAS: Wolfgang, Rippee, York, Thompson, Alexander
NAYS: None
ABSENT: None
The motion carried.
There was no further
business, and the meeting was adjourned at
Respectfully
submitted,
Carol Alexander,
Secretary