OKEMOS, MI - The Zoning Board of Appeals virtual meeting took place on Wednesday, December 16th to discuss a variance request for Chipotle Mexican Grill Restaurant, located at 2085 W Grand River Ave Suite D in Okemos to install a second wall sign.

Community Planning and Development Assistant Planner Keith Chapman gave a presentation to display the layout of the restaurant and occupies most of the eastern tenant space, with a drive-thru window for online and app orders and was approved under a special use permit. The whole project was approved under site plan review 1911. The Township’s ordinance states that multi tenant buildings are permitted to have one wall sign for each tenant that has individual means of public access and building frontage. An applicant from Johnson Sign Company, Will Johnson, was present during the virtual meeting and originally wanted two 92.3 square foot wall signs, with one being on the north and the other on the west building passage. Johnson spoke to the Board and felt that the east side of the building had the best visibility for the restaurant.

Scott Hendrickson thanked the applicant for providing information to the criteria of the request, and didn’t see why the Board shouldn’t approve the variance since they have approved similar requests on the other side of the building. Hendrickson states that there are still trees out front of the restaurant that make it hard to see the sign and was a major issue, “They’re going to get their drive-thru clientele to see a sign in order to know about the business.”

Chair Alexia Mansour was in agreement with Scott Hendrickson and stated that this was the third case the Board had on Grand River alone in the past 6 months about signage for businesses, and asked other members if it needs to be looked at further as a general regulation as those areas develop in the Township and went over the criteria to see if the variance met all the requirements.

The Board approved the request with a vote of 4-0.