Environmental committee appointed

By Grace Lovins

Birmingham city commissioners selected nine members for the city’s newly formed ad hoc environmental sustainability committee at their meeting on Monday, March 27, who will work to develope the city’s sustainability goals and climate action plan for the next 18 months.

The committee was to be comprised of members with a knowledge of sustainability with areas of expertise in either energy, equity, civil construction or engineering, water quality, environmental engineering, consulting or law, recycling and solid waste. Commissioners reviewed applications from 15 individuals and heard from 13 candidates during the meeting.

Selected candidates include: Joseph Mercurio, a Birmingham native for nearly 34 years, is an automotive engineer with experience in electric and fuel cell vehicle programs for trucks, buses, construction equipment and locomotives. Mercurio spent his career at GM and holds a PhD in Biological and Environmental Engineering. He was selected to fill the energy and electric vehicles focused position.

Jess Newman, a two-year resident of the city, is currently senior director of agriculture and sustainability at McCain Foods. She has experience working on sustainability strategies for municipalities, per her application, and was previously the senior director of agronomy and sustainability at Anheuser-Busch. Newman was selected as a residentat-large.

Rachna Gulati, a startup COO, was selected to serve as a regular member with a waster focus. A five-year resident of Birmingham, Gulati had previously served on the environmental board of Royal Oak supporting sustainability initiatives. She also served as a product director at Recyclebank for two years.

Lois DeBacker, who has lived in Birmingham for 15 years, was selected as a regular member with a focus on environmental law and consulting. Currently a philanthropic program manager, DeBacker has spent years in environmental philanthropy with an expertise in environmental justice, climate mitigation and adaptation, and water quality. She previously worked in the state government on environmental policy.

Debra Horner, a researcher at University of Michigan, will serve as a regular member with a focus on water and stormwater. She has conducted research on the state’s local governments, including community sustainability, recycling efforts, and energy policy. She has lived in Birmingham for 30 years.

Lara Edwards, development director of Friends of the Rouge, will serve as a regular member, also with a focus on water and stormwater. A 15-year resident of Birmingham, Edwards has previously served on the multimodal transportation board and an ad hoc traffic calming committee. She also has experience with program development and familiarity with sustainability, per her application.

Daniella Torcolacci will be serving as a regular member with a focus on energy. She has been a resident of Birmingham for nine years. Torcolacci holds a degree in sustainable development from University of Michigan and has worked for roughly 15 years in renewable energy and sustainable development.

Danielle Todd will serve as a regular member. Her background includes time as an executive with an environmental nonprofit with experience in food waste reduction.

Albert Harvey Bell, IV, currently a professor in the College of Engineering at University of Michigan, worked at GM for nearly four decades, part of which his job involved reducing exhaust emissions. He has been a resident of Birmingham for 75 years. Bell was selected to serve as a regular member with a focus on building and construction.

Four members of the committee will also be staff from the manager’s office, planning and engineering departments and the department of public services, serving as ex-officio members. All appointed members will serve an 18-month term, expected to conclude on September 27, 2024.

Chairperson Scott Clein and board member Bryan Williams each stated they had concerns over the potential impact the expansion may have on its neighbors, considering the building will border townhomes without a buffer. Saroki and Rick Rassel, attorney with Williams, Williams, Rattner and Plunkett, P.C., stated they had not talked to the neighbors in the townhomes yet but do plan to do so.

“We live in a reality where we’re bound by ordinances and there are a lot of concerns here just from a process perspective in addition, to me, some from just a basic land planning perspective,” chairperson Scott Clein said.

“As you said, you’ve got a lot of uses you’re trying to fit into a very small space, a space which the entire block is currently two stories, all single family residential except for the library across the street which is two stories. … I worry that this is completely out of proportion with the block. I worry about its impact on the surrounding community, on the residents, particularly those townhomes,” he continued.

A member of the association for the townhouses, attending the meeting by Zoom, told members of the planning board that owners of the townhomes objected to the proposed height of the proposed expansion of The Community House and that the group would be retaining an attorney to oppose the project.

New Lavery Porsche plans stalled again

By Lisa Brody

Final site plans, special land use permit approval and a lot combination for the new Lavery Porsche dealership, which would replace the current building located at 34350 Woodward Avenue, were once again postponed by the Birmingham city commission at their meeting on Monday, April 3.

City staff and developers reportedly have yet to reach an agreement on who will be paying for the improvements to Elm Street and Haynes Street, where the dealership is located.

Designs for Fred Lavery’s new dealership were first reviewed by the city planning board in October 2022. The board eventually moved forward with recommended approval to the city commission in February, with most members agreeing they didn’t want to stall plans over the intersection issue that still need to be addressed by multiple parties.

At the February site plan and design review, the planning board was presented with a few options on how the intersection between Haynes Street and Elm Street could be reconfigured based on the dealership designs, including a vehicle exit onto Elm. The multi-modal transportation board proposed a design that would reduce Elm Street to one southbound lane with a new bump-out extending across Elm to Woodward.

Lavery proposed a different idea, where Elm would remain two lanes and a larger bump-out would be added to the proposed service drive so cars could still turn right on to Elm. Board members voted on a motion that requires Lavery to work with city staff when the reconfiguration is finally addressed.

The city will also have to work with MDOT and SMART to ensure the reconfiguration meets all of their requirements.

The new development will require a lot-combination to connect the two land parcels purchased, along with updated plans with specifications of a utility pole placement, lighting and landscaping specifications before coming to the commission.

Plans for the development were originally supposed to be presented to the commission on March 13, but was postponed so the commission could review the lot combination and special land use permit requests during the same meeting. At the commission meeting on Monday, April 3, the requests were again postponed at the request of the applicant.

According to planning director Nick Dupuis, the applicant was hoping for more time before coming to the commission. City manager Tom Markus indicated that the developers seem to have concerns over the city’s expectations that the developer will be required to pay for the changes to the intersection.

“The language of the SLUP is somewhat being discussed and we are taking a pretty consistent position on what that language should be as to who pays for improvements. There is some discussion regarding that and that’s why it’s being continued,” Markus said.

“When we deal with a development that creates an impact on the right-ofway or the improvements of a right-ofway, the expectation is that the development will pay for those changes and the improvements that are necessary,” he later continued.

Commissioners voted 7-0 to table the discussion and will review the plans, lot-combination and special land use permit at a date to be determined.