Planning Commission approves recommendation for Sheetz development

FARMINGTON HILLS — A proposal for a planned unit development project that has stirred up controversy in Farmington Hills is one step closer to being a potential reality.

At a Farmington Hills Planning Commission meeting Nov. 21, Planning Commission members voted 4-1 in favor of a recommendation from Sheetz to construct a gasoline service station and drive-thru restaurant at the former site of the Ginopolis restaurant, located near 12 Mile and Middlebelt roads.

John Trafelet was the lone member of the Planning Commission to oppose the proposal, with Dale Countegan, Marisa Varga, Kristen Aspinall and Barry Brickner all voting in favor.

With the Planning Commission being a recommending body, the proposal would need to be approved by the Farmington Hills City Council at a later date in order to come to fruition.

Sheetz is a family-owned convenience store and gas station chain that was started in 1952 in Pennsylvania. Skilken Gold Real Estate Development is listed as the applicant for the proposal.

The meeting room at City Hall was packed, mostly with residents who oppose the development. Approximately 30 residents spoke during the public comments portion of the meeting.

After a recommendation was made to approve the planned unit development proposal, Trafelet shared his thoughts.

“I intend to oppose this motion because it’s not compatible with the surrounding (area),” he said.

According to Alex Siwicki, a representative for Sheetz who spoke at the meeting, the overall site is 3.8 acres, and the business will take up 6,139 square feet.

If approved, there would be six dual-sided fuel pumps at 12 stations.

According to an agenda packet from a previous Planning Commission meeting that took place this past June, features of the potential Sheetz development include a made-to-order restaurant with fresh food delivered daily, high-quality materials with four-sided architecture, enhanced landscaping, a “net positive” in trees, outdoor dining and 30 inside seats.

According to Siwicki, Sheetz has 750-plus locations across seven states.

Aside from Planning Commission members and residents speaking at the meeting, Julia Upfal, who is a consultant for the civil engineering company Giffels Webster, which helps advise local governments, was also present.

When reviewing the plans, she said that exterior lighting was probably the biggest concern.

“The lumen count is where the real concern is,” Upfal said. “The total they have is 628,227 lumens. They have 15 different fixture types and many, many lights on the site. The amount permitted for the site for residential is only 74,943.75 lumens and (the) amount for a commercial site would be 149,887.5, so they’re like five times more than a commercial site.”

A resident who spoke during public comments also expressed concerns about the level of lighting proposed for the site.

“This development is fundamentally out of place, placing a commercial project like this directly next to residential neighborhoods,” the resident said. 

“My biggest issue, personally, is the lighting, so I’m glad that Giffels Webster’s report touched on that. The lighting levels they (want to) put on this property are 8.4 times higher than what is allowed at the homes next to this property, and 4.2 times higher than the surrounding businesses. … I urge you guys to carefully consider whether this development aligns with the best interests of all of us and I ask that you not recommend this.”

Another resident echoed concerns that have been brought up by other community members.

“Their main objective is to put the ma-and-pa businesses out of business,” she said. “I don’t want a Sheetz gas station.”

Sheetz locations are open 24/7, which is a fact that has not gone unnoticed by residents.

“I’m here tonight to let Sheetz know that they are not wanted in our neighborhood,” one resident said. “We don’t need a 24-hour store that is gonna bring nothing but riffraff all hours of the night. We don’t need the drug people, we don’t need the drunk people in our neighborhood, just like we don’t need the Sheetz gas station.”

Another speaker addressed an issue that was brought up by multiple residents.

“Seems like our city has quite enough gas stations,” he said. “Make the choice for our people and not for unneeded and unwanted business.”

Other concerns expressed by residents included the potential for an increase in crime, noise pollution, an increase in traffic, and a racial discrimination lawsuit filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, alleging that the hiring practices of Sheetz screens out Black, Native American and multiracial applicants based on criminal conviction records.

Siwicki addressed some of the concerns that were expressed by residents, such as the belief that the Sheetz development could harm the environment.

“We maintain a nearly 100% technical (compliance) rate with the EPA,” he said. “We have third parties inspect our systems at four times the rate from what is actually required. We install state-of-the-art systems that far exceed the requirements in every state we operate in, including the state of Michigan.”

Siwicki also touched on the concern that Sheetz will lead to more traffic in the area.

“Convenient stores are convenient, they’re not a destination,” he said. “We capture the majority of our customers from existing traffic, not from generating additional.”

In regard to excess lighting, Siwicki said, “There is no light shedding on the neighbors’ properties, except for at the driveways, and even then it’s only very slightly.”

Siwicki later said he would “be more than happy to comply with the standards for the commercial district.”

When addressing Sheetz being a 24/7 operation, Siwicki said, “There are a lot of people that work through the night that would benefit.”

The potential for Sheetz to be the cause of other businesses to fold was also addressed by Siwicki.

“The convenience industry is one of the most competitive and fragmented industries in the entire country,” he said. “Many folks around Michigan are excited about our coming here. It is introducing more competition, which is very good for the consumer.”

Although the majority of public comments were in opposition to Sheetz operating in Farmington Hills, there were a couple of supporters.

One resident said that he stopped at a Sheetz location in Maryland and was “really impressed.”

“I was really excited to see that Sheetz is coming, not only to Michigan, but right around the corner, practically, from where I live,” he said. 

“I’m surprised to see all the people being upset about it. That property has been vacant for five years. Sheetz has a proven business model that works.”

Another resident said that Sheetz will provide a great benefit to the city.

“We have no 24-hour restaurants and convenience stores,” he said. “Everything is now closed after 10 p.m. post-COVID. Our city will benefit from the taxable revenue (from) this business. … We should not be standing in the way of progress, and businesses coming to our city.”

At press time, a date had not been set for a potential Sheetz development proposal to come before Farmington Hills City Council members.