Two new businesses won approval to open along Novi's Ten Mile Road corridor after the Planning Commission unanimously approved special land use permits for both Orangetheory Fitness and Malli's Kitchen on Wednesday, July 22.

Chair Pehrson and members Avdoulos, Reddi, and Verma voted 4-0 to grant both permits at the Novi Civic Center. Three commissioners — Dismondy, Lynch, and Roney — were absent.

The approval of Malli's Kitchen (permit PSLU26-0002) is notable because city staff had previously flagged a potential conflict with Novi's B-1 zoning ordinance, which caps restaurant use at 20 percent of a planned commercial center's gross floor area. The commission approved the permit anyway, but with a condition: before Malli's Kitchen can open, the applicant must prove the shopping center and all its restaurant tenants comply with the cap, including written termination of any special land use permits no longer in operation.

The commission's approval motion acknowledged the issue directly, stating that "additional information will be required from the applicant/property owner to determine 20 percent of gross floor area of the plaza currently attributed to restaurant use."

Malli's Kitchen, applied for by Karmen Santourian, will operate as a restaurant and food store at 24059 Meadowbrook Road, south of Ten Mile Road. The 1,100-square-foot space falls under the ordinance's 2,500-square-foot single-restaurant limit. Proposed hours are 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., the maximum allowed under B-1 zoning. The restaurant sits about 220 feet from the nearest residential property line.

Orangetheory Fitness (permit PSLU26-0004), applied for by CHL Fitness Novi LLC, will occupy existing space at 41630 Ten Mile Road, north of Ten Mile and west of Meadowbrook Road. The commission found the fitness center has sufficient parking available at the plaza.

Both approval motions included a finding of consistency with the city's Master Plan objective to attract new businesses and fill vacant tenant spaces.

The Planning Commission typically meets the second and fourth Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Novi Civic Center, 45175 Ten Mile Road. Residents can submit written comments to the Community Development Department at the same address or call (248) 347-0475. The department is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.