Owosso planning commission approves 44-unit Bradley Street apartments, 6-1

A 44-unit apartment development shaped like Quonset huts is cleared to move toward a building permit at 1000 Bradley Street in Owosso, after the city Planning Commission approved the site plan 6-1 with 10 conditions attached.

The vote came at the commission's June 22 regular meeting, according to draft minutes posted by the city. Commissioner Martin cast the only no vote. Commissioners Ludington, Taylor, Fear, Secretary Albertson, Vice-Chair Robertson and Chair Osika voted yes.

Justin Sprague of OHM Advisors, the city's planning consultant, outlined the project for the commission. Along with the 44 units, the plan includes off-street parking for 60 vehicles, a maintenance building, a dumpster enclosure, sidewalks, bioswales to hold stormwater and landscaping. The site is 129,196 square feet, and the buildings would cover 26% of it, well under the 60% the zoning ordinance allows. The one-bedroom units are drawn at 864 square feet, against a 550-square-foot minimum.

The conditions the commission set are the practical changes neighbors and future tenants would notice. The developer must add an outdoor amenity area near unit 31, add a third barrier-free parking space, widen the drive lanes in the two end parking lots from 24 feet to 26 feet, widen sidewalks to at least seven feet so parked cars don't overhang them, submit measurements showing the buildings meet a 30-foot minimum height, and turn in a revised lighting plan for administrative review. The review found the current lighting plan exceeded the 10-footcandle maximum in some spots and left the Beehler Street and Lyon Street frontages too dark.

The commission also granted the project two breaks from the letter of the ordinance. It accepted narrower 20-foot greenbelts along Beehler and Lyon streets instead of the 35 feet the ordinance calls for, using a "Buffer B" calculation. The staff review said the 35-foot standard "seems excessive" for an urban site and is more suited to a suburban location, and that Section 38-216(g) lets the commission vary the requirement when the intent of the ordinance is met. The commission separately accepted the buildings' design, which the review described as different from traditional apartment complexes but potentially acceptable given the transitional location next to the railroad tracks.

City departments, consultants and outside agencies still have to sign off before a building permit can be issued.

In its other action, the commission voted unanimously to start rewriting the city's Master Plan. Secretary Albertson said the plan contains outdated data, that development sites need updating, and that it should reflect the city's Redevelopment Ready Communities certification. Commissioners discussed how to pay OHM Advisors for the work, saying money might be available in October through RRC funds or would otherwise have to be added to next year's budget.

The commission also elected officers for the year, choosing Commissioner Osika as chair, keeping Robertson as vice-chair and naming Albertson secretary. All seven members were present.

What happens next: the Bradley Street applicant must satisfy the 10 conditions and clear department, consultant and agency reviews before a building permit is issued. The Master Plan update depends on funding, which commissioners said may not be settled until October at the earliest. The minutes adjourned the meeting at 7:30 p.m. until July 27.