City Planners Recommend Rezoning For Vinsetta Garage Parking Lot Be Denied
BERKLEY (WWJ) - There are new developments in the dispute between a popular Woodward Avenue restaurant owner and local residents.
The city planning commission for Berkley has recommended that city council deny a parking rezoning plan submitted by the owner of Vinsetta Garage.
Residents say the plan — which includes tearing down nearby homes to make room for parking, is a bad idea — and city planners agree. In addition, there have been complaints of speeding cars and littering in the neighborhood since the restaurant opened two years ago.
Talking to WWJ Newsradio 950's Chrystal Knight on Wednesday, City Planner Amy Vansen said that although the planning commission thinks rezoning for a parking lot shouldn't happen, they do plan to move ahead with other options to accommodate restaurant patrons.
She and the city manager will be reaching out to neighboring businesses with larger parking lots, to talk about assisting to facilitate a joint parking arrangement.
Vansen says Berkley is a city composed of both businesses and residents, and rezoning issues are really a balancing act when it comes to making sure that everyone thrives.
"It's a built out community; it's a walking community, and so we do have some of these edges where residential and bushiness meet, and it's a negotiated line," Vansen said.
"With this particular business it wasn't about what they have or haven't done over the last two years; it was about what do you want the city of Berkley to look like in the next 20 years," she said, "and is a parking lot in this location the best thing for the city as a whole."
The next step is to being the issue before the Berkley City Council, which will have the final say on the matter.
