| Ms. Goodwin addressed the historic designation and rezoning issues |
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| together. The subject parcel was recently purchased by the Road |
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| Commission for Oakland County in conjunction with the Livernois Road |
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| improvements. The parent parcel was originally one acre in size. A 0.12 |
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| acre portion was recently rezoned to B-2, General Business and then |
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| combined with the existing shopping center on Walton Boulevard to replace |
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| parking spaces lost due to the widening of Livernois Road. The applicant |
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| believes that the highest and best use of the property is for permitted O-1 |
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| uses. No specific users or plans have been identified at this time. Ms. |
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| Goodwin reviewed the principal permitted uses and conditional uses |
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| permitted under the current zoning of R-2, One Family Residential and the |
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| proposed zoning of O-1, Office Business. There appears to be sufficient |
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| land area to support either a single family use or a small professional office |
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| as well as other permitted uses under either zoning classification. The |
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| larger permitted uses would not be feasible because of the limited land |
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| area available and the development requirements that would have to be |
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| met. The Master Plan designates the subject site as single family |
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| residential. However, it was recognized in previous applications for a |
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| rezoning of this property that these changes could have some bearing on |
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| the future use of the property. The existing topography and the change in |
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| orientation to the new right-of-way for access purposes would have an |
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| impact on the practicality of the future use under the Master Plan’s land use |
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| designation. The office zoning classification can be used to provide a |
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| transitional land use from the more intense uses typically found at the |
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| intersections of major thoroughfares. There do appear to be unique |
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| circumstances in the orientation of the lot and its relationship to the |
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| adjoining shopping center driveway, the right-of-way, and the Livernois |
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| frontage that would warrant a deviation from the strict interpretation of the |
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| adopted land use designation for this property. |
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