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Record of Proceedings

Ferndale Planning Commission Meeting - 2026-02-18

City Council & Commissions — Wednesday, February 18, 2026
BodyFerndale, Michigan
SessionCity Council & Commissions
DateWednesday, February 18, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:45:47

Transcript — Verbatim
0:02

I wish that was followed more often, actually.

0:05

That'd be nice if like while elected officials had to follow.

0:11

Covered again.

0:13

Just not when it's convenient.

0:40

Ross and Melissa are really upgrading the planning commission.

0:44

That's all.

0:45

And we were told to.

0:46

Yeah.

0:52

It's it has been a long project to get those bags away.

1:04

It misses my son one of these uh little plastic firefighting helmets and he's just wearing it around going like the five.

1:10

I just had such a hard time, I don't know why.

1:14

That's yeah.

1:16

But we're gonna give you this.

1:20

I just um it's my mind.

1:24

That's all good.

1:26

I um didn't is Rachel coming tonight?

1:29

No.

1:30

Okay, cool.

1:30

I don't see a slide.

1:38

Try member.

1:43

Okay.

1:44

So it's six thirty-two.

1:46

Are we now alive?

1:48

Oh my gosh, seriously?

1:49

What's a member lane?

1:51

It is six thirty-two according to my Casio watch.

2:32

Um we will start with a roll call.

2:42

Commissioner Azar?

2:43

Here.

2:44

Commissioner Brazen?

2:45

Here.

2:46

Commissioner Foster?

2:47

Here.

2:49

Councilmember McCulski.

2:51

Commissioner Schwalter?

2:52

Here.

2:53

Commissioner Subakatani, Commissioner Hall, Commissioner Michelle.

2:59

Here.

3:01

Um and so we've heard from Commissioner McCulski that she could not be available.

3:09

Um they weren't yeah, everyone confirmed.

3:12

I actually did not hear from Commissioner McCulski.

3:14

I have not.

3:15

Okay.

3:17

So um motion to excuse.

3:20

Commissioners Newman, Mkolski and Spokadani.

3:23

Yes.

3:26

Yeah.

3:26

I'm sorry, ha haul not now.

3:30

Thank you.

3:30

Do I have a second?

3:31

Second.

3:33

Have a motion from Brazen and a second by uh Showwelter.

3:37

All those in favor?

3:38

I thank you.

3:43

Uh moving to approval of the agenda this evening.

3:45

We have a public hearing for the um recommendation of approval of the city of perennial capital improvement plan.

3:54

And um a training.

3:56

Is there any um edits to the agenda?

4:05

Motion for approval.

4:06

Motion to approve the agenda.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Zoning and Land Use█████████████████████████████████████████████46%
Budget Equity Analysis██████████████14%
Procedural██████████10%
Public Engagement█████████9%
Public Works████████8%
Affordable Housing█████5%
Economic Development███3%
Parking███3%
Water And Wastewater Management██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Ferndale Planning Commission Meeting - 2026-02-18

The Ferndale Planning Commission met on February 18, 2026, at 6:32 PM to consider the Capital Improvement Plan 2027-2032, receive planning commission training, and review the 2025 annual report. The meeting adjourned at 8:50 PM.

Consent Calendar

  • Excused Absences: Motion to excuse Commissioners Newman, McCulski, and Subakatani passed unanimously.
  • Approval of Agenda: Approved unanimously.
  • Approval of Minutes: The January 21, 2026, draft minutes were approved. Commissioner Michelle initially abstained due to absence but changed her vote to yes to ensure unanimity.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No members of the public spoke during the Call to Audience or the public hearing.

Discussion Items

  • Public Hearing – Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) 2027-2032: Assistant City Manager presented the proposed six-year CIP, totaling $112,272,447 in departmental requests. Key figures: General Fund $52M, Sanitation Fund $1.9M, Road Fund $11.5M, Water and Sewer Fund $28M (including $28M for lead service line replacement). The presentation emphasized deferred maintenance, scoring criteria, and funding sources (general fund, bonds, DDA). The public hearing was opened and closed with no testimony.
  • Planning Commission Training: Kathleen Duffy (SmithGroup) delivered a training session covering legal foundations (Michigan Planning Enabling Act, Zoning Enabling Act), the role of the planning commission, master plan and zoning ordinance relationships, site plan review, special land uses, variances, conditional rezonings, and decision-making ethics. Commissioners discussed grandfathered approvals, food truck regulation, and the importance of consistent, ordinance-based decisions.
  • 2025 Draft Annual Report: Staff presented a summary of 2025 projects: 1401 Farrow (warehouse expansion – approved), zoning ordinance amendments (lighting, outdoor dining, definitions – approved), 2230 Woodward (car wash – recommended denial), and a conditional rezoning (Iron Ridge District – approved). Goals for 2026 include monitoring the new zoning ordinance, adopting bylaws, hosting a joint meeting with council, evaluating Plan Ferndale action items, and hosting housing policy forums. Discussion included planning for the master plan update in 2027 and gathering data on administratively approved projects.

Key Outcomes

  • CIP Recommendation: Motion to recommend adoption of the Ferndale Capital Improvement Plan 2027-2032 to City Council passed unanimously (5-0).
  • Training Received: The training was informational; no vote taken.
  • Annual Report: The report will be presented to City Council in March 2026. Commissioners suggested adding data on staff-level approvals (e.g., ADUs) and planning for the master plan update.
  • Commission Elections: Election of chair and vice-chair was postponed to the March 2026 meeting due to low attendance.
  • Parking Concern: A commissioner noted parking enforcement on Wednesdays causing distraction; staff will look into providing parking vouchers.
  • Site Design Issue: A commissioner flagged a parking lot without curbs adjacent to a sidewalk as a potential safety hazard; staff will review parking lot design standards in the new zoning ordinance.

Meeting Transcript

I wish that was followed more often, actually. That'd be nice if like while elected officials had to follow. Covered again. Just not when it's convenient. Ross and Melissa are really upgrading the planning commission. That's all. And we were told to. Yeah. It's it has been a long project to get those bags away. It misses my son one of these uh little plastic firefighting helmets and he's just wearing it around going like the five. I just had such a hard time, I don't know why. That's yeah. But we're gonna give you this. I just um it's my mind. That's all good. I um didn't is Rachel coming tonight? No. Okay, cool. I don't see a slide. Try member. Okay. So it's six thirty-two. Are we now alive? Oh my gosh, seriously? What's a member lane? It is six thirty-two according to my Casio watch. Um we will start with a roll call. Commissioner Azar? Here. Commissioner Brazen? Here. Commissioner Foster? Here. Councilmember McCulski. Commissioner Schwalter? Here. Commissioner Subakatani, Commissioner Hall, Commissioner Michelle. Here. Um and so we've heard from Commissioner McCulski that she could not be available. Um they weren't yeah, everyone confirmed. I actually did not hear from Commissioner McCulski. I have not. Okay. So um motion to excuse. Commissioners Newman, Mkolski and Spokadani. Yes. Yeah. I'm sorry, ha haul not now. Thank you. Do I have a second?

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