Historic Commission Approves Revised Application for Former Amoco Site

Two property owners looking to develop on the former Amoco gas station site at South Main Street and Ann Arbor Trail cleared another hurdle Tuesday with the city's Historic District Commission. 

The commission, whose objective is ensuring properties fit in with the surrounding areas in the historic district, unanimously approved Ed Dombrowski and Omar Hamdan's application for a two-story building at the location during a special meeting at City Hall. 

The property owners for a three-story building, but had scaled back to two stories to address concerns by the public and the city's Planning Commission.

The sticking point Tuesday was the building's windows and whether the material dividing window panes, called mullions, were on the outside or inside of the building. 

Dombrowski said he wished for the mullions to be on the inside of the building to reduce cleaning and maintenance costs for the windows, while the commission wanted them on the outside to fit with the nearby historic buildings.

Commissioner Patricia Malcolm said she found aluminum-clad mullions that could be cost-effective and installed on the outside of the building, and Dombrowski said he would travel with Malcolm to explore that as an option.

Malcolm motioned to approve Dombrowski and Hamdan's application under the condition a "field trip" take place to explore the external mullions, as well as including other minor decorative changes proposed by the commission.   

After the meeting, Commissioner Grant Gardner said the commission has "a list of standards" to ensure properties are in harmony with the surrounding area, and that he could understand the property owners' frustration with the months-long approval process. 

With just the five commissioners and the property owners present, the special meeting was quick and relatively low-key. While Dombrowski addressed the commission, Hamdan remained quiet.

After the meeting, Hamdan said the application approval was "very good," and as soon as he and Dombrowski receive approval from the City Commission, he said they can begin building. The project , but a City Commission vote to accept payment in lieu of parking spaces until a parking study was completed. 

The development's approval is expected to be on the City Commission's June 6 meeting agenda.