Planning Commission denies medical office in downtown triangle
Dundee Village Planning Commission members voted unanimously to deny a special use permit which would have allowed a medical office to move into the downtown area. The vote followed a public hearing on Monday, July 12, attended by about 25 people.

Dr. Henry Taylor sought to move his medical office from Maumee, Ohio to 141 Riley St., in the downtown building recently purchased by the Village of Dundee. The building was purchased in part to house new offices for the building inspector, and the Village Council voted to lease out the ground floor to the medical practice.

The Village planned to renovate part of the building to meet the requirements of the doctor’s office at public expense, and then lease the space to the medical practice. Later, it was discovered that a special use permit is required to allow a medical office in the downtown area.
Unanimous vote

Village Trustee and Planning Commission member Janet Bunch made the motion to deny the special use for the medical office. This motion was passed unanimously.

The village’s professional planner, Caryn Wenzara, pressed Mrs. Bunch to cite her reason for making the motion.

Mrs. Bunch said, “We need more retail downtown as opposed to office blocks.” Mrs. Bunch also said it was a difficult decision to make.

Voting along with Mrs. Bunch were Chris Vandercook, Charlie Salenbien, Ron Phillips, Joe Fenner and Mary Lou Cooley.

Mrs. Cooley said, “I feel that we have not exhausted all the other possibilities for the location of the doctor’s office.”

Mr. Fenner said, “Parking is an issue, no matter what business went in there, if it were successful.”
Mr. Salenbien said, “If they had bought the building and remodeled it themselves I might feel differently about it.”

Several people spoke out against the location of the medical practice downtown at the public hearing. Most of the comments included the need to have more retail downtown, and concerns about limited parking.

Public comments
Village Trustee Chad Lazette said, “This issue is not that popular in the village. To go further out of our way to get that building in shape for medical use would further exacerbate the situation.”

Reed Knapp, owner of the River’s Edge restaurant said he was not against having the medical practice in town, but thought the downtown area was not the appropriate place for it.

Mr. Knapp said most people visiting their doctor go alone, go directly to the doctor’s office and back again without stopping to shop or eat out.

“The town needs the retail in the area,” said Mr. Knapp.

LeRoy Meyer, owner of Wilson and Meyer Hardware, said, “Dundee is slowly losing its business mix in the downtown.” Mr. Meyer also pointed out that the building would require extensive renovations to make it sterile enough for use as a doctor’s office.

Dr. Taylor said he was not interested in other locations. “We own a practice in a strip mall; we don’t want that. We are not interested in redoing a house. We want to be in a historic building downtown.”

When asked if he would consider the other side of the street, which has more parking in the rear, Dr. Taylor said, “There are no buildings with that historic feel on that side of the street. We don’t want a modern office. Nobody just comes to a doctor’s office. A doctor’s office is basically a retail business.”

The planner, Ms. Wenzara, said that a special land use would have to be approved to allow the medical practice downtown. She said the Planning Commission should consider that use’s compatibility with the master plan, adjacent land use, traffic, overall environmental considerations, and so on.

Other office approved
Also at the Planning Commission meeting, there was a public hearing to discuss a special use permit to allow a medical office at 229 Tecumseh Street, in a house to be renovated as a business. It is the last building in the downtown area, located west of All Star Realty, and is adjacent to the B3 business district.

Dr. Jeffrey Zigulis plans to renovate the currently neglected dwelling, put in a lighted, engineered parking lot, and open his office in the ground floor of the building. The upper floor will be reserved for future office space, or possible use as a residence.

Dr. Zigulis is an optometric physician and can treat eye diseases, write prescriptions, refer patients for surgery and also prescribe glasses and contact lenses.

The Planning Commission voted unanimously to allow the special use for that medical office, which will provide its own parking, and is not located in the downtown triangle area.