Auto glass and accessory store planned at busy Ypsilanti Township intersection

YPSILANTI TOWNSHIP, MI - A new 7,800-square-foot auto accessory shop will move into the Roundtree Shopping Plaza at the Ellsworth and Hewitt roads intersection.

Joe Lawson, Ypsilanti Township's planning director, said the plans submitted to the township state that the business will replace and tint auto glass; install stereos and other car audio accessories; and offer various accessories.

At its Tuesday, June 14, meeting, the Ypsilanti Township Planning Commission unanimously approved the plans. The project can move forward once the company has its final approvals from the building department.

"It's another hopefully viable business that fills a void. Obviously, a vacant space is not an ideal situation, so having a viable business is a plus," Lawson said.

The business won't perform major car repairs and it will not be permitted to store or work on vehicles in the lot - all work will have to be done in a garage.

Lawson said that the Roundtree Shopping Plaza's owner appeared before the planning commission on Tuesday, not the business owner. The plaza owner didn't provide a name for the business, but said it was not a chain.

The space has largely been empty since a Rite Aid closed several years ago, Lawson said, though a sign for boxing club hangs above the door. The Roundtree Plaza also houses a Big Lots, Papio's Night Club and the Roundtree Bar, among other stores.