Preliminary plans for nine-story building okayed

By Grace Lovins

A new nine-story building to be constructed across two properties at 34952 Woodward and 690 E Maple received preliminary site plan approval from the Birmingham planning board during the Wednesday, May 13, meeting.

The new development, on the Woodward corner across from Kroger, is anticipated to have a mix of residential, commercial and retail uses.

Planning director Nick Dupuis began discussions noting that the preliminary site plan review process is designed to give an applicant tentative approval on big, general items so they can begin to develop construction drawings. The board had previously reviewed the preliminary building proposal during their March 23 and April 22 meetings, during which the conversation mostly focused on parking.

During the April 22 meeting, the board opted to postpone discussion of the preliminary site plan until May to give the applicant additional time to address the parking deficit. The updated plans for the building showed a decreased parking deficit from originally being 120 spaces short of the requirement to being 85 spaces short.

Dupuis explained that the design of the building remains mostly the same, but the bonus floor area the building was allowed through the MU5 and MU7 zoning district as well as the number of residential units had been reduced to decrease the parking deficit.

The building is anticipated to have a total of 422 spaces with 173 of those spaces set aside for public parking, according to owner Sam Beznos, CEO of Beztak Realty Companies. Beznos said the plan would be to have an automated system in the garage where residents of the building will have a pass to park and the public will get a ticket to enter.

Project architect Victor Saroki also explained that he and Beznos will be bringing the plans for the city’s zoning board of appeals to obtain variances on two things: a three-foot height variance of the building along E. Maple and a mezzanine inside the building meant for parking. Several board members, including chair Scott Clein, stated that they would be in support of the zoning board of appeals granting the variance.

Board members voted unanimously 7-0 to approve the preliminary site plan review for the building with a handful of conditions. The applicant will need to return for final site plan and design review approval before construction can begin.