Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


A parking lot expansion and other site improvements are being sought for a popular market at a very busy intersection in Genoa Township.

Jonna’s Market is located at 4986 Chilson Road, near the intersection of Brighton Road. It’s the old Vic and Bob’s Party Store.

Owner Mike Jonna is seeking to expand the parking lot, add a patio, and make some improvements to address ponding in the parking lot and other drainage issues, as well as other site constraints.

Jonna and the project engineer were before the Planning Commission at Tuesday night’s meeting.

Jonna acquired the abutting property to the north, which formerly housed a single-family residence, and thus is looking to expand the parking lot.

The plan proposes removal of the existing driveway to/from Chilson Road and construction of a new one further north. The Brighton driveway would be improved and widened but be generally in the same location. It was stated the farm stand would remain.

There are 24 parking spots now, and a total of 53 are being sought, along with four electric vehicle charging stations. It was stated on any given day and time of year, roughly 14 to 16 spots are being utilized by staff.

Jonna noted they’re also looking to add ice cream and a soup station, so the patio would be a place for people to take a break, and enjoy or wait for their pizzas or food. He also referenced the large amount of landscapers and construction workers and other bigger trucks and vehicles that take up a lot of space as part of the need for extra parking because it can be pretty tight. Further, traffic regularly backs up onto Chilson and Brighton Roads.

Per ordinance, there’s an 8-foot bike path/sidewalk requirement along both road frontages.

It was stated there is no room on the property or right-of-way on Brighton Road or Chilson Road and it doesn’t make sense as there are no other public sidewalks or bike paths to connect to. In those certain situations, a performance guarantee can be accepted in lieu of bike path construction, should site constraints go away in the future.

Vice Chair Eric Rauch questioned if the performance guarantee was even necessary – noting it’s a drivable destination of the community and the only sidewalks in the area are within subdivisions - not out on road frontage - nor would he recommend it and it doesn’t seem like a place they would encourage pedestrian traffic. Rauch added “it would be strange to me to ask for a performance guarantee for something I wouldn’t anticipate ever requiring construction on”.

Overall, Rauch said he found plans to be an improvement over the existing condition, but still sees challenges – to which other members agreed.

A proposed outdoor walk-in cooler addition from inside the building was said to be non-conforming, thus a variance would need to be obtained from the Zoning Board of Appeals to construct it.

Among some conditions, it was requested the applicant substantiate the parking request, provide facade elevations and patio plans, engineering and landscaping around the pond on the southeast corner along with fencing details, and a maintenance schedule as the commission is accommodating a unique stormwater design. 30 shrubs must be planted but three trees would not be required around the pond area as it could hinder views for motorists. It was stated that the performance guarantee would not require a financial contribution.

The request was ultimately tabled pending the submittal of revised plans.