By Lisa Carolin
After nearly three years of work, the Chelsea Planning Commission unanimously adopted its Draft Master Plan at the Nov. 21 meeting.
The Planning Commission received 68 pages of comments on the plan, which they reviewed and made changes to with help from Carlisle/Wortman Associates, Inc. planner Paul Montagno.
Now the Draft Master Plans goes to the Chelsea City Council, which is scheduled to consider it at the Dec. 18 meeting.
The Planning Commission approved both a preliminary and final site plan for St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea. The plan is to create 78 parking spaces, which the commission voted to call a minor change because it represents just 11 percent of the total parking. There are four areas where parking will be added including 48 spaces along with lights and trees where the White Oak Inn will be demolished.
An Amended Landscape Plan proposed by the new Gestamp manufacturing facility at 5800 Sibley Road was tabled by the Planning Commission until a landscape architect can create a 3-dimensional version of the plan for commission members to review.
One of the challenges is creating a berm between Gestamp and Timbertown. The goal is to use trees and shrubs on the property line and make the berm blend more naturally into the environment.
