Ms. Miller served on the Lathrup Village Planning Commission for several years. The primary role of a Planning Commissioner is to evaluate a proposed business site plan against the City’s ordinances. If the site plan meets all ordinance requirements, the law requires the Planning Commission approve the plan. Commissioners are not permitted to use their discretion or personal feelings to influence their vote. Near the end of Ms. Miller’s term, there were two site plans that came before the Commission. One plan was for the new BP gas station. This business was a permitted use in the zone being considered. The site plan met all the zoning ordinances. Additionally, this type of business is also subject to a Special Land Use, where the Planning Commission can impose further restrictions (e.g., no TVs or speakers allowed on the gas pumps). The applicant complied with all of the additional conditions imposed by the Commission. There was no legal reason to deny their site plan, yet Ms. Miller voted against both the site plan and Special Land Use because she did not think a gas station was the right fit for Lathrup Village—a clear violation of her oath. Click here for more detail (on last page).
The second incident was related to the new apartments on 11 Mile Road. Due to construction delays, the building permit expired and the developer was required to re-submit a site plan. The newly submitted plan was identical to the initial approved plan. The only difference was the owners made the business decision to lease them as apartments, instead of selling them as condos. Both uses are permitted under the ordinance and the change did not require any approvals from the City. Ms. Miller strenuously objected to the switch and commented that apartments “will bring the wrong type of people to the City.” Commissioner Hulleza subsequently admonished Ms. Miller for this statement and explained to her that affordable housing should be available to all. Ms. Miller, a realtor, reportedly had an opportunity to sell the condos once they were finished, so losing the opportunity to do so upset her. Again, despite the site plan meeting all requirements, Ms. Miller voted against it, putting the City at legal risk. Click here for more detail (on page 4).
As a Commissioner, Ms. Miller had the power to propose changes to the zoning ordinance (e.g., restricting gas stations or apartments as a valid use in a given zone). However, she never attempted to put forth this type of effort. As a result of these votes that put the City at risk, the existing Planning Commissioners, City Planner, and City Council no longer trusted Ms. Miller to comply with the law. City Council refused to appoint her for another term and chose a different resident to occupy her seat on the Commission.