Traffic concerns continue to hold up a plan for a new Tim Hortons on Dixie Highway at M-15.
‘Any hesitation on that corner, with the speeds people travel, can be dangerous,? said Sam Moraco, chairman of the Independence Township Planning Commission. ‘There is going to be an increase because of Tim Horton’s. There is going to be an increase no matter what you put there.?
The developer, Nicholas Associates, LLC, submitted plans for a gas station, convenience store and Tim Horton’s drive-thru restaurant. Planners’ concerns also include setback requirements, parking, and height of the building.
‘Our concern is when you include the Tim Horton’s in with the gas station, they generate a lot of traffic, especially in the morning,? said Brian Ottman of Carlisle-Wortman, the township’s planning consultant.
The developer has also not including enough parking spaces in the site plan, Ottman said.
Colleen Hill-Stramfak of Hubbell Roth and Clark engineering said changing a site next to a road maintained by Michigan Department of Transportation usually triggers an MDOT review of the site.
The commission tabled the special land use request in August.
The Planning Commission tabled approving a special land use conceptual approval for the property for a date to be determined so the developer can work on improvements.
? Andrea Beaudoin