Alpha Sigma Alpha, local developer in talks to build new RSO house
Oliveri management has approved plans to bulldoze 1026 S. Main St. and 1024 S. Main St. to make way for a larger residence.
Alpha Sigma Alpha will get a new house if local developer Joe Olivieri can convince the City of Mount Pleasant to approve the project.
Olivieri wants to build an 18-occupant Registered Student Organization house for ASA on their current lot at 1024 S. Main St. The project will expand to the adjacent 1026 S. Main St. lot. ASA's current house and the house on the 1026 S. Main St. lot are both eight-occupant homes. The plan is to demolish both houses to build the new development.
ASA has 79 members, Olivieri said. The new house would allow the group to hold functions and other events.
Olivieri plead his case for the project before Mount Pleasant officials at Thursday's Zoning Board of Appeals meeting. The Feb. 25 meeting gave Olivieri the chance to present his plans. The board has semi-judicial powers and their approval would send his project plans to the city's Planning Commission. Olivieri can move forward with the project once approved by planning officials.
Before they could decide, Olivieri asked to postpone the vote. Olivieri has 30 days to review or redo his plan. If the board would have opposed the project, Olivieri would be barred from bringing the RSO house plan before the ZBA for a period of one year.
Zoning Board of Appeals members questioned whether Olivieri's request for an 18-occupant house was valid. Both of the existing houses are eight-occupant dwellings. The lots combined could house 16 occupants.
Olivieri tried to strike a deal with the board to increase the density by two if he beautified the property and reduced parking. The two existing buildings are known as non-conforming properties. By combining them, the RSO would conform to city zoning and building ordinances, which is an incentive for the city to approve the project.
Peter Orlik, a board official and Central Michigan University's Broadcast and Cinematic arts department chair, said he couldn't support the plan. Orlik argued that the floor plan of the house is too similar to other Olivieri-built RSO houses.
"When you look at the documents regarding M2 ordinances, I don’t think this is distinctive enough," Orlik said. "No way am I going to break those standards for two additional occupants."
The supposed uniqueness of the project — bolstered mostly by the beautification and conformity updates — was Olivieri's main argument for increasing the density. ASA also has a history of trash and city code violations. These violations were presented to the board in addition to the request, and weighed on officials' minds.
