THE PLANNING PROCESS

Any development, redevelopment or construction project must undergo an approval process involving the Planning Department, other administrative staff, the Planning Commission and the City Council. The review process is designed to ensure that any development or construction project adheres to all local, county and state regulations and that, throughout the process, the development project is designed and constructed so that the City receives the best development possible.

The following is a general description of the planning and review process in the City of Westland. This description is intended to show the detailed review a proposal must undergo before it receives final approval from the City of Westland. Specific details can be obtained by contacting the Planning Department directly at (734) 467-3266 or at planning@ci.westland.mi.us.

The Concept

The Planning Department is approached by developers on a regular basis seeking to develop or redevelop sites within the City of Westland. The Planning Department encourages developers and builders to meet with the Planning Department informally prior to the formal review process to review zoning and preliminary site design issues. This informal look at proposals allows the City to anticipate upcoming proposals and to direct the developer and builder toward the appropriate ordinances as well as the steps required for review.

Development Review Committee

Just prior to or shortly after a proposal for development is received by the Planning Department, the proposal is reviewed by an administrative body known as the Development Review Committee. This administrative committee is comprised of the Mayor, the Planning Director, the Economic Development Director and the Building Director. The Development Review Committee typically meets the first Wednesday of the every month to review upcoming proposals and other administrative issues. This committee is designed to give the developer or builder guidance and allows the Administration the ability to inform a potential developer if a proposal is appropriate for the City of Westland. As this is an administrative committee the meetings are not open to the public.

Application

Each development proposal or action requested of the Planning Commission must be initiated through the submittal of formal applications from the Planning Department as well as a fee established by the City Council. Applications are available at the Planning Department office located at the Economic Growth Center, 37095 Marquette, south of Ford Road and east of Newburgh Road. Applications are also available on-line at the City's website. Applications may also be accessed from the home page or by additional links throughout the website. Applications for Planning Commission review must be submitted a minimum of 32 days prior to the next available Planning Commission meeting. The Planning Commission meets the first Tuesday of every month unless otherwise rescheduled due to a holiday. Complete, original signature applications, the required fee and the appropriate number of signed and sealed drawings (eight (8) copies of plans for site plan approval) must be submitted to the Planning Department for processing.

In-House Review

For a proposal that involves a site plan approval request, an in-house administrative site plan review meeting is scheduled approximately one week after formal submittal of site plans, application (s) and fee. The eight (8) sets of site plans are submitted to the reviewing Departments, which include Assessing Department, Building Department, Department of Public Service Engineering Division, Fire Department, Police Department and Planning Department. These departments review the site plan and attend the administrative in-house meeting with their comments and requirements in writing. This meeting is designed to provide the petitioner with the appropriate requirements and gives all parties the opportunity to discuss not only ordinance and code requirements but the desires of the administration and the departments for each specific site or proposal. Eighteen (18) sets of site plans and a digital copy of all plans and paperwork on disc, revised based upon the requirements and comments of the in-house review meeting, must be submitted to the Planning Department by the developer within two weeks in order to meet the deadline for the Planning Commission meeting.

Note:
Site plans for lots within an established industrial park are approved administratively. All other proposals must be forwarded to the Planning Commission for review and City Council approval.

Planning Commission Review

The Planning Department prepares its report entitled Findings and Recommendations. This report provides the Planning Commission with a detailed analysis that includes, but is not limited to, the characteristics and zoning of the subject property and surrounding properties, previous case files for the site, Master Plan projections for the site and a detailed analysis of the proposal including the proposal's conformance to Zoning Ordinance and Department requirements, as well as any other specific requirements as required under the Zoning Ordinance. As an example, the Zoning Ordinance, requires that the Planning Commission and City Council make findings and recommendations on rezoning and special land use approval requests based upon specific criteria outlined in the Zoning Ordinance. The Planning Commission reviews the proposal, takes public comment and formulates a recommendation to the City Council. The Planning Commission may forward the site plan with a recommendation for approval, a recommendation for approval with conditions, a recommendation for denial (with reasons) or may request postponement for additional review or information. The Planning Department prepares a letter of resolution for each Planning Commission case and forwards the Planning Commission's recommendation with all information to the City Council for the next available meeting.

Note:
The City Council meets the first and third Monday of every month.

Public Hearing and Public Notification

There are certain projects that the Planning Commission reviews that require a formal public hearing. These include, but are not limited to rezoning requests, requests for vacation and abandonment of streets, alleys or easements and special land use approval requests. As part of the public hearing process, the Planning Commission (through the Planning Department) is required to provide written notice of the public hearing posted in the official newspaper of the City as designated by the City Council. The Planning Commission must also notify all property owners and all occupants within 300 feet of the subject property of the public hearing. The notices must include the time, date and location of the public hearing as well as the general proposal. Different cases require different notifications and have different notification deadlines based upon State law.

City Council Review

The City Council, as the City's legislative body, is charged with making final determinations regarding all cases that are forwarded from either the Planning Department or Planning Commission. The City Council reviews the Findings and Recommendations report from the Planning Department as well as the recommendation from the Planning Commission and any public comment heard by the Planning Commission. The City Council must approve a site plan as submitted if it meets all Zoning Ordinance requirements, may approve a site plan with conditions or deny the site plan if it does not meet all Zoning Ordinance requirements. In cases that involve a request other than site plan approval, the City Council must make a determination based upon specific criteria for review set forth by the Zoning Ordinance and in some cases must hold its own public hearing.

Next Steps

Once a site plan is approved by the City Council or is approved administratively in the case of a site within an industrial park, a developer or builder must then submit to the Engineering Division for site development. Three (3) full sets of engineering plans are reviewed by one of two consulting engineering firms. These firms perform inspections of site developments to ensure compliance with the approved engineering plans. The developer or builder must also submit three (3) copies of full building drawings along the with required Building Department Applications. Before a Certificate of Occupancy is issued for a new building, all Departmental requirements associated with the approved site plan, permits and the site in general must be met and approved by all Departments.