City Council

CITY OF STERLING HEIGHTS MINUTES OF SPECIAL MEETING OF CITY COUNCIL WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2024 IN COMMUNITY CENTER 1. Mayor Taylor called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. 2. Mayor Taylor led the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag and Andrea Bara, Management Assistant, gave the Invocation. 3. Council Members and Planning Commissioners present at roll call: Michael C. Taylor, Liz Sierawski, Deanna Koski, Michael V. Radtke, Jr., Maria G. Schmidt, Barbara A. Ziarko, Pashko Ujkic, Gerald Rowe, Paul Jaboro, Nathan Inks, Edward Kopp, Geoffrey Gariepy, Brandy Wright, Nicole McGill (arrived 6:35), Pampreet Sarau (arrived 6:40). Absent: Henry Yanez 4. APPROVAL OF AGENDA BY CITY COUNCIL AND PLANNING COMMISSION Moved by Koski, seconded by Ziarko, RESOLVED, to approve the agenda as presented. Yes: All. The motion carried (All). 5. PRESENTATIONS A. Mayor Taylor thanked Council members and Planning Commissioners who are here tonight for this joint session. The City Planning Department and its planning consultants at Giffels Webster have been working diligently on revisions to the Master Land Use Plan, and tonight is the next step in that process. The purpose of tonight’s is focused on major and minor neighborhood support districts, or nodes. He added that these areas are many of the City’s major commercial and neighborhood corners outside of the corridor areas already under Special City Council Meeting Wednesday, August 28, 2024 Page 2 consideration in the Master Plan. These corners are, in most cases, under some distress, with vacancies and an overabundance of parking, and status quo would likely perpetuate a continued decline. He is hopeful that tonight’s discussion will provide direction on the best way to address these areas in the new Master Plan. He invited City Planner Dr. Jake Parcell to begin the presentations for this evening. Dr. Jake Parcell, City Planner, explained they are in the process of updating the City’s Master Plan, which is a requirement of the State of Michigan every five years. They are moving forward this year with the rewrite of the plan so they can continue the successful momentum of the last decade and move forward. He cautioned that the planning development process takes time, but the efforts of this process have been notable in the City of Sterling Heights by attracting development that is leading the way in the State of Michigan. He cited some of the successes to highlight what they have done and where they plan to go moving forward, including the Lakeside redevelopment, and the beginning of the large- scale revitalization in their North Van Dyke Avenue District, which includes new attainable housing, improvement of existing retail, and recreational amenities, street scape improvements and more. He cited major intersection redevelopment at key nodes such as 15 Mile and Van Dyke, 15 Mile and Ryan, and M-59 and Schoenherr, as well as areas throughout the North Van Dyke Avenue. The City continues to be a destination for new residents, noting they have had over one hundred new single-family homes being constructed annually, resulting in an owner-occupied housing percentage of seventy-six percent, one of the highest in Special City Council Meeting Wednesday, August 28, 2024 Page 3 the metropolitan area when looking at comparable communities. He explained that the City continues to invest in public property, setting the tone for private property investment as well. This includes upgrading their right-of-way, City buildings, parks, and roads. Tree preservation and large-scale replanting efforts improved stormwater management standards, and even more sustainability efforts have been outlined through their award-winning sustainability plan. They are excited about what they are seeing moving forward, and what they will see in the next five years in the development of their current rewrite of their Master Plan. They will be focusing their strategies on how to revitalize and redevelop areas in need, and to keep their goals in line with current socioeconomic conditions. They are focusing largely on their key intersections throughout the City, which have been identified in the City’s 2017 Master Plan. He noted these excluded areas that have already been established in other Master Plans, such as the Lakeside City Center, the North Van Dyke Avenue District, and the Van Dyke Corridor. He introduced Ms. Jill Bahm and Mr. Andy Aamodt from Giffels Webster to discuss their key intersections, how to refine their approaches, and how to move past the “one size fits all” mindset to categorize these intersections and incorporate innovative methods to support their neighborhoods and businesses alike. Ms. Jill Bahm, Partner at Giffels Webster, stated she and her colleague, Mr. Andy Aamodt, have been enjoying working with the City on building some of the successes they have already had in their community. She explained that tonight’s focus will be on key intersections, or nodes, and they had forwarded a fairly Special City Council Meeting Wednesday, August 28, 2024 Page 4 complete packet of information that they will be going through tonight. She added they also have some interactive questions and those interested in participating can go to www.menti.com on their phones and enter code 8148 3784 when they reach that point in the meeting. She began the presentation discussing Corridors and Nodes Module, looking at the past and the evolution of their current environment, especially the suburban development that took place after World War II. She explained many of their commercial developments, both here and across the country, were constructed for convenience. The more neighborhoods they added, the more commercial strips they added. Some of these areas were intended to be downtown areas, but as jobs moved out of the downtown area, people were essentially traveling between suburbs. The commercial corridors served as convenient access for goods and services that were built for the car. In 1954, an interesting provision in their tax law allowed for accelerated depreciation of buildings to a seven-year period, so that spurred a construction boom in suburban areas that went until about 1986. Photographs of strip centers were shown, along with drive-throughs, numerous free-standing stores, bountiful parking, a lot of driveways, signage that continued to get bigger to compete with neighboring businesses, wider roadways, and multiple travel lanes. It became a lot of “sameness” from one community to the next. The 1960’s and 1970’s provided a lot more visibility through freeway interchanges and growth. They started seeing big box development in the late 1980’s which served as anchor stores for the larger developments. That resulted in even more parking Special City Council Meeting Wednesday, August 28, 2024 Page 5 and asphalt. Some of this was changed in the 1990’s in recognizing that people were feeling these areas were void of vibrancy and life, and downtown areas started having a resurgence. Most of these areas were still created without housing and job centers, so they were not functioning as a true downtown area. Ms. Bahm emphasized one of the big challenges they run into is that these are still functioning, and it is hard to justify redevelopment of property when it is still generating income. Mr. Aamodt talked about existing conditions and trends in the City when looking at the intersection nodes. Some of the land uses consistently seen in these intersections are large commercial strip centers, big box retail, big box chain pharmacies, auto oriented uses, such as car washes, gas stations, service centers and repair centers. A lot of medical offices and some general professional offices are often seen in these intersections as well. There is a lot of sameness, built to the same “cookie-cutter” portfolio. Many of them have huge areas of parking lots and lack pedestrian connections from the public realm into the private development to assure safe entrance for pedestrians. These buildings tend to have huge setbacks and separation distances between each other, causing an inconvenience for pedestrians. Many of the buildings need façade or structural updates, especially since many of these were built approximately fifty years ago. Mr. Aamodt talked about the public realm, noting there are many vehicular travel lanes on the roadways, many of them built with five or six lanes, making them very wide with vehicles moving at very fast speeds. There is a plethora of curb cuts Special City Council Meeting Wednesday, August 28, 2024 Page 6 creating dangerous situations. There are limited to no pedestrian amenities in a lot of these areas, including street furnishings, benches, etc. He emphasized the City is doing a good job of improving the tree canopy. There are notable areas that need more tree canopy, however. Mr. Aamodt talked about the parking observations they made through Google Earth imagery available to the public. They looked at about twenty-four examples of imagery at particular sites and zeroed in on one of the commercial strip centers in one of the nodes, specifically at Dequindre and 17 Mile Road. It is a 24,000-square-foot commercial strip center and has about fourteen suites, most of them are barber shops, beauty shops, and small retail stores. They found there are one hundred eighty-six parking spaces on site, and on average, fifty-seven vehicles are parked on the site on average, making up only about thirty-one percent of the parking lot being used. That calculates to approximately 26,000 square feet of available land that could have been available for other uses and purposes, or site improvements such as green space, small-scale housing, etc. He added that sixty-seven occupied spaces were the highest ever observed. Ms. Bahm pointed out that people developed those properties years ago based on what the rules were at the time. They designed it for people traveling by automobile, which was the only option, so they made sure they had plenty of parking area. As they shift to think about a new way of development, she explained that “mixed use” comes up as encapsulating a lot of what they have talked about so far. They are offering flexibility to be able to do more than one Special City Council Meeting Wednesday, August 28, 2024 Page 7 thing at a time. Their historic zoning codes required a separation of uses, keeping everything far apart from everything else. They are now realizing there is a better way to do things through a mix of uses. She pointed out that some of these mixed- use areas can generate a strong sense of community, giving people civic pride and the feeling they are in a special area. She explained increased accessibility allows for people to walk around different areas, and it would attract people of all ages. They are looking at enhanced sustainability, reducing parking, stormwater, and relying a little less on the automobile and more on walking. This also stimulates economic growth by creating jobs, increasing property values, and allowing for more development in an area. It also increases their housing supply, which is something that is needed. Ms. Bahm referred to some of the research they did and explained how the Urban Land Institute developed a healthy corridor report, looking at four factors of community that can be improved through redevelopment with a mix of uses. They looked at transportation, economics, health and safety, and equity. She explained they identified several indicators in each of those four factors that can indicate the health of a community, and cited the example of street design, proximity to jobs and bus stops or other types of micro transit. She noted economics involves looking at vacancy rates, job density, commercial jobs per acre, and land use. She pointed out health and safety may involve looking at proximity of grocery stores, air quality measures, crash data, and with regard to equity, providing local opportunities for people who live in the same area and Special City Council Meeting Wednesday, August 28, 2024 Page 8 looking at affordability. Some of these metrics can be established and incorporated into their Master Plan. Assistant City Planner Shawn Keenan explained they need a vision for these “tired” corners and nodes, and it takes time to implement them. He presented slides on a few of the steps that take place when these types of areas are revitalized. He pointed out that regardless of where in the country these areas are located, they involve having a sea of parking with a lot of big box commercial centers. One of the first steps communities can take to spur development is to make some street improvements, including landscaping and streetscapes. He pointed out the City is doing that. The owner can also include some other low-cost improvements to the site by adding a few small features, such as a gathering place. It provides the feeling that something is happening, and mixed use is to provide more options for the developer to utilize underdeveloped land; however, this takes time. He pointed out they try to get the businesses closer to the sidewalks by connecting them to the sidewalks and bringing the stores closer to the road. They are also trying to intermix residential, which is a key component to getting a higher density of people in these areas to help support the commercial businesses. It will take time, but it will be an investment for the property owners, and an investment for the City. In improving streetscapes, it is a good time to improve the infrastructure if it is proven there is a need. Ms. Bahm explained they identified a couple of different planning publications, and she identified a few points that jump out at them from their research: Special City Council Meeting Wednesday, August 28, 2024 Page 9 • Redeveloping strip commercial corridors embodies sustainability. • Phased implementation and patience is key. • Investments in both public and private realm are needed, which can be a light rail line, bike lanes, sidewalks, pathways, and bus lines. • Importance of transit cannot be overstated, although cars and vehicles cannot be discounted because they are still the major mode of transportation. • Consider the appropriate land uses, including housing and what people need to support living and working in the same area. They also need to not allow the uses they do not want. Ms. Bahm posed the first and questions that can be answered on www.menti.com • Think about successful places you have been to that feel vibrant, attractive, and comfortable. Think of four things that contribute to that feeling of success. Some of the answers included the following: shade, trees, comfortable, green spaces, waterfront, landscaping, walkable, warm, and sunny, outside patios, dining, and more. • Think of unsuccessful places you have been to and four things that contributed to that feeling. Some of the answers included the following: boring, too much concrete, mostly stores and parking lots, expensive, no trees, no landscaping, no outdoor activities, no pedestrian infrastructures, unsafe for small children, weeds, blight, no parks, unattractive, and more. Mr. Aamodt thanked everyone for participating in that exercise, and he explained they are going to move on to some case studies. He stated they looked at other suburban communities throughout the country, and he talked about a few implementation actions some of these communities took. Mr. Aamodt talked about Shoreline, Washington, which is a suburb on the north side of Seattle. In the early 2000’s, they started planning for a lot of road right-of- way improvements to their heavy state corridor, known as Aurora Avenue. It has an average daily traffic count of 40,000 to 45,000, which is similar to Metro Special City Council Meeting Wednesday, August 28, 2024 Page 10 Parkway, from east of Van Dyke to Utica Road. Their city worked with their county and state to spruce up the corridor and add amenities. They added a bus rapid transit lane, and a lot of their plans were implemented in 2006. They started seeing a lot of development attracted to their area, and a lot of ideas came forth. Their city adopted a small area plan, called a “community renewal plan” for a special intersection of this corridor. They envisioned multi-family mixed use with a lot of people who will shop at the existing commercial strip center. They also added other small businesses to the area, and he showed “before and after” photographs. He emphasized this was a shared effort between the city government and the private developers. The side street was very auto oriented, with huge pavement areas that pedestrians needed to cross, and he pointed out what they have done to alleviate that situation, with the shared effort to make this a much more attractive place. Ms. Bahm talked about College Park, Maryland, a community that started their planning in 2002. She showed some aerials depicting a lot of empty space in front with a lot of underdeveloped parking areas on an uninteresting roadway. By 2024, there have been tremendous improvements, and she showed some of the recent pictures depicting these improvements. They have taken advantage of traffic calming and traffic safety. She explained this is a college town, and it has been a very interesting, long-term project. Ms. Bahm talked about a city much closer, Troy, Michigan, specifically the Big Beaver Corridor. She explained the Big Beaver Corridor Study was completed in Special City Council Meeting Wednesday, August 28, 2024 Page 11 2007, with the vision at that time for Big Beaver to be transformed into a “World- Class Boulevard”. They explored what makes a world class boulevard, and the idea of moving the buildings close to the street provides a sense of safety and security. If the buildings are too tall and too close to the road, it can create a claustrophobic feeling; conversely, low buildings on very wide roadways can feel unsafe. The advent of fast-casual dining occurred around that time, and a lot of small empty parking spaces in front of the larger office buildings are now occupied by places where people who work in those buildings can have lunch. This plan is something that can evolve over time, but some of the interesting components are the quality of the architecture, different building materials, articulations, and a variety of facades, and seeing people sitting outside is something different that they did not have years ago. She also talked about the new multi-family developments in the area. Ms. Bahm talked about Woodstock, Georgia, an area that started planning in 2002 following some suburban-style development in the late 1990’s. They did a revamped plan in 2008 to focus on community input. They allow a variety of uses in the area, and have done a lot of public investment infrastructure, greenspace, on-street parking, and although it is the same width of roadway, they have reallocated it, so they have smaller areas for pedestrians to have to cross with traffic. They have multi-family residential, affordable units, units for seniors, townhouses, small single-family lots, courtyard homes, and neighborhood parks tucked in small areas, along with other programmed areas, such as amphitheaters. Special City Council Meeting Wednesday, August 28, 2024 Page 12 Mr. Aamodt addressed the topic of direction for the Master Plan. He noted in the memo, they used the terms “city,” “village,” and “neighborhood,” but they want to alter the naming to a district, possible based on the nodes. He pointed out that not every one of the nodes is the same, and there are far different conditions in each of them. There are different levels of control in terms of right-of-way, so not every one of these is the same. He cited some examples, pointing out a city center node would be something like the Lakeside redevelopment. It would be a large regional draw and very large redevelopment project, with something that has its own grid and street pattern. A district node could be something that is about 15 to 25 acres that is mid-sized, has multi-family mixed use, and up to four or five stories. It may have public space, parks, and offers a variety of services and amenities for its residents, not only in the node but in the neighborhoods near it. It also offers a variety of housing types. It could offer townhouses, stacked flats, live/works, quad-plexes, six-plexes, and other middle housing. The neighborhood nodes are on the smallest scale, and they are still supporting the residential neighborhoods in the area, but the uses allowed are stricter. It may allow direct service and convenience store uses that are more geared to someone’s everyday service. They tend to concentrate on a lot of good site design that cleans up the area and enhances connections between sites. Mr. Aamodt cited examples of these neighborhood nodes, including Woburn Village, Massachusetts. It was a big box commercial strip center, and it was cut in half. One-half still remains, but the other half was redeveloped into something Special City Council Meeting Wednesday, August 28, 2024 Page 13 pleasant with placemaking features and will serve a residential population in the immediate area. This twenty-two-acre site offered green spaces, outdoor cafes, and one-story commercial uses, with a five-story residential building to the rear. The Maxwell, in Alpharetta, Georgia, is another example. They do not have any huge residential buildings, noting they are a maximum of two stories. They are stacked flats of four or five units above a commercial ground-floor suite, with townhouses in the rear. They have provided an attractive greenspace, and he pointed out that as they move to the southeast, it is all townhomes, row houses, and attached condominiums. It is a lower-scale node as far as intensity, but it is all for goods and services to its residents. Ms. Bahm stated they have provided in their packet information on those key intersections, or nodes, and this was part of a workshop element they conducted in June. In most cases, most people felt they would like to see mixed uses. They listed average daily trips as well. She referred to the specific intersections and the desired nodes, whether it would be considered a neighborhood node or district node, and the answers reflecting the majority were shown (through www.menti.com): • Dequindre/17 Mile – Neighborhood • Ryan/17 Mile – Neighborhood • Ryan/18 Mile – District • Schoenherr/19 Mile – District • Dequindre/15 Mile – District • 15 Mile/Ryan – District • Schoenherr/15 Mile – District • Dodge Park/15 Mile – Neighborhood Special City Council Meeting Wednesday, August 28, 2024 Page 14 • Schoenherr/14 Mile – District Ms. Bahm addressed zoning considerations, what they do with this information, and what comes next after the planning process. In the Master Plan, they will lay out the key elements for the future zoning. She clarified that, although they address the Master Plan every five years, they do not have to change them, but they are required to review them. One of the reasons is because they want to be sure their zoning ordinance is still in line with their Master Plan. They want to make sure they have rules and regulations that support the long-range vision of the community. They want to think about the kinds of zoning considerations they want to make. They want to make sure they are zoning for appropriate land uses, regulating for integrated site design, and handling non-conformities. She emphasized flexibility, but zoning should not be optional. Ms. Bahm posed the question as to what they see as barriers from an implementation standpoint. Answers provided through www.menti.com reflected the following: public, costly, lack of community support, patience, desire to change, funding, current zoning, interest from developers, changing mindset in Macomb County, practicality in cold climate, giving in to what builders want, and more. Ms. Bahm posed the question as to what policy/regulatory changes can be made going forward. Answers provided through www.menti.com reflected the following: allow flexibility, parking requirements, focus on mobility, reinvest in Special City Council Meeting Wednesday, August 28, 2024 Page 15 public right-of-way, establish guidelines for districts, incentives, developer incentives, change zoning ordinance, and more. Ms. Bahm explained the Master Plan does not result in the City rewriting the zoning, but it sets forth standards and framework, identifying targets. She talked about other options available to incentivize development, including identifying capital improvement projects in the City’s Annual Capital Improvement Plan, creating a policy for tax incentives, developing a PILOT project on city property, allowing pop-up uses as a means of activation. She showed some examples where small shipping containers were placed in underused parking areas, spruced up, and opened up as small pop-up shops and food trucks. Private/public partnerships and collaborative efforts to reduce the burden of capital when working with the private development community and resources to make improvements. Ms. Bahm posed the question as to ways the city can incentivize and “champion” for this kind of development. Answers provided through www.menti.com reflected the following: tax credits, tax incentives, reduce formal approvals, public/private partnerships, start with small focus areas, and more. Dr. Parcell concluded their presentation by stating they are trying to come up with creative solutions when the draft of the Master Plan is out. They are excited to build on public engagement through feedback and open discussions. They are starting to move away from their “one size fits all” approach to intersections, and they are finding ways to help neighborhoods and business communities strive Special City Council Meeting Wednesday, August 28, 2024 Page 16 together, coming up with creative solutions that they will see when the Master Plan draft is released. Mayor Taylor thanked Ms. Bahm and Mr. Aamodt for their presentations this evening. 6. QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS – FEEDBACK FROM CITY COUNCIL AND PLANNING COMMISSION Mayor Taylor opened the floor to City Council and Planning Commissioners for any comments or questions. Mayor Pro-Tem Sierawski thanked Giffels Webster for their beautiful presentation. She appreciated that they included interactive segments where the audience could engage. She talked about growing up in Grand Ledge, Michigan, a suburb of Lansing, and in the late 1970’s to early 1980’s, they saw a decline in Lansing, and this made her think about what she saw happening and what she does not want to see here in Sterling Heights. She stressed it is important for them to take steps to prevent any type of decline. She pointed out a lot of the nodes they are talking about are up and down Van Dyke. She understands this will take time, but she emphasized Van Dyke is a thoroughfare, so before they can have walkability and development of these nodes, they need to bring the speed down. She understands they are looking to do that with traffic-calming and other ways. The volume of traffic is high, and they need to take some of that volume and get it off of Van Dyke, especially in the North Van Dyke area. She saw that they are proposing no drive-throughs, but as a mother of four, if she did not have drive- throughs available when they were younger, it would have made her days much Special City Council Meeting Wednesday, August 28, 2024 Page 17 more difficult. She emphasized that drive-throughs still have value and are important, so she does not want to prohibit them, but possibly decreasing them in some of their high-pedestrian areas. Planning Commissioner Nathan Inks stated one of the arguments they have heard from residents is that they already have vacant commercial/retail buildings, so they do not need any more. He emphasized, however, that the type of commercial development they have throughout the City is different from what they would see under mixed use development. He questioned how Giffels Webster responds to this concern from residents. Ms. Bahm replied that by talking about different kinds of retail spaces being built today versus the commercial spaces that were built forty or fifty years ago, the format is different. People are shopping in places where they will have a little bit of an experience. There is a decline in some types of retail, there is experiential- based retail that people do want to take part in. She noted that people are still purchasing eighty-five percent of their goods in person, so eliminating retail is not realistic. She felt they need to build on the ability of people to be able to do things while they are shopping in an attractive environment. Planning Commissioner Inks commented that developers have not been enthusiastic about shared parking agreements. He questioned the tools the City has to encourage developers to engage in sharing parking, so they do not end up with an overparked mixed use district. Special City Council Meeting Wednesday, August 28, 2024 Page 18 Ms. Bahm admitted parking is still difficult when doing this. Having mixed use can help because they have fewer people who need to drive, and they can create places that are more walkable. In the downtown area, there is public parking, so each business does not have their own individual parking spaces they own. Businesses can also look at a shared parking area but also share the expense of maintenance. They can look at reducing parking standards, so they do not have to set aside as much space for parking. Planning Commissioner Inks noted a similar problem is the hesitancy to add pedestrian amenities. He questioned whether the City would have to take small amounts of properties in a district and turn them into pocket parks to realistically incentivize private property owners to have some type of shared pedestrian amenity. Ms. Bahm replied they think of those areas as “places of interest,” and could feature a couple of benches, a water feature, swings, public art, or something that makes a place interesting, a place to gather, etc. These need to be integrated in with the site and the building design as well, so thought needs to go into where to place these interesting features to make sense. Planning Commissioner Inks suggested that the Office of Planning create an inventory of all properties owned by the City. He noted at a Sustainability Commission meeting held this past month, it was brought up that the City owns a small parcel at 15 Mile and Ryan in a traditional mixed use development node. He did not realize the City owned any property in this area, and it may be helpful to Special City Council Meeting Wednesday, August 28, 2024 Page 19 have an inventory so they can possibly consider turning some of these into pedestrian amenities. He also agreed with Mayor Pro-Tem Sierawski that they do not want to eliminate drive-throughs throughout the entire city, because they have their place. He agreed they are not going to change the autocentric actions of the entire community, but they can reduce or eliminate drive-throughs strategically in small portions of the City. He assured they are not trying to change the entire fabric of the City but want to focus on redevelopment of specific areas. Planning Commissioner Pashko Ujkic stated the presentations look great on the screen, but he questioned who brings these to reality for the private sector. In all of these studies referenced in the presentation, he questioned the types of partnerships that cities can build with private developers. Ms. Bahm felt one of the things to note are the infrastructure improvements that all of those communities have done, so there is a measure of public investment that also needs to occur. The City is trying to “set the table” for developers to understand the City is investing in the appearance of the road, so the developers can understand they can then invest in their properties because they know what is going to happen. There is Tax Increment Finance (TIF) capture and Business Improvement Districts, where there is money that can be reinvested into those areas. There can be other kinds of sharing, so if there is a piece of property the City has that can be worked into a private development, it could be something they can work on together. Special City Council Meeting Wednesday, August 28, 2024 Page 20 Planning Commissioner Gerald Rowe commented that the Planning Commission has been trying to push their vision in these nodes, and they have been getting push-back, which has been a challenge. They continue to have a gap between what they want to achieve and what the developers want to do. He felt they need to engage the development community as to the benefits the City is trying to achieve by sharing their vision. He suggested they find a champion who is willing to share their vision, and he clarified it does not have to be someone famous but someone from this community who is a developer and wants to engage in what the City is trying to do so they can be a part of it. Planning Commissioner Gariepy perceives an adversarial relationship with the developers in Sterling Heights as far as how they are going to get where they want to go. He added it seems the attitude is that the City “is going to do this in spite of them.” He felt one of the biggest problems is they have not brought the developers in from the beginning. He does not see any of those developers here this evening. Developers turn in a plan only to find out at a meeting they will be turned down for something that would have been approved several years ago, and he suggested the developers should be involved at the fundamental level. He commented that, as a result, people are suing the City and have refused to do the development the City would like, and it will not get the City to where they want to go. He stressed developers need to understand they are welcome, and this is not adversarial, so they need to be engaged so they understand the vision of the City and its benefits and that they are still a welcome part of the community. Special City Council Meeting Wednesday, August 28, 2024 Page 21 Mayor Taylor clarified that, for nearly every project that gets to City Council or Planning Commission, those developers have been meeting with Dr. Parcell and his team repeatedly. They have had multiple discussions with plans going back and forth to the Planning Office, they have talked with Legal and City Administration, so there is a long process before it eventually gets to the policy makers or decision makers who are not involved in all of those meetings, so there may be some disconnect. He assured there is no disrespect to Dr. Parcell and his team, and he is not sure of the solution. Planning Commissioner Gariepy agreed that they are not privy to what is going on between the developers, the landowners, and the Planning Office prior to these projects coming before them. They have an opportunity to bring these people onboard while the projects are still in the talking phase. He suggested they hold an event where they bring these people in, explain it to them, and get feedback. Dr. Parcell agreed that it is important to engage all members of the community. He noted that when they sent out their first survey, it became a discussion of “I own a business, I don’t live here, so why should I participate in the Master Plan?” Since this process started, they have received contact information from Clerk Melanie Ryska for every licensed business in the City, they have worked with the Chamber of Commerce, and they have distributed about 25,000 emails from himself, inviting people to open houses, inviting people to participate in surveys, and inviting developers and business owners to the table. They have had prominent developers show up to the open houses and provide feedback Special City Council Meeting Wednesday, August 28, 2024 Page 22 throughout this process. They have sent out notices and personalized letters to every business for every ordinance change, advising them of the date of the meeting, so he assured they are doing their best. He stated he welcomes ideas and input, and it has been a process that has been evolving since January. He thanked the business owners who have provided feedback, but it is constantly evolving. He assured nothing is done in the Office of Planning that is brought to a public meeting without notice being given and awareness trying to be raised to the highest level. Planning Commissioner Gariepy questioned whether Dr. Parcell feels apathy is a problem. Dr. Parcell replied to inquiry that he attributes it to the challenges of public engagement in a city that is as large as Sterling Heights. They have tried to evolve and adapt to, and they have taken technological differences into account, providing information in every water billing, which goes out to businesses and residents. He has posted about a hundred notices and QR codes and met with businesses on site, so although they have tried to engage, it is a difficult challenge, but they have stepped to the plate to meet it. Councilwoman Schmidt expressed frustration when the developers coming before them want three- to five-story apartment buildings, but the nodes they are talking about are more than just apartments. She questioned how they can get these developers to want to have a variety of housing, such as townhouses, row houses, small houses, pattern book homes, and condominiums. She felt that Special City Council Meeting Wednesday, August 28, 2024 Page 23 would be more representative of affordable housing, and it provides a way for people to buy into the community. She questioned how they can get the developers to build what the City would like to see in the community rather than the developers telling the City what they have to build to make a profit. She agreed patience is key. She stated she is excited to see if the Lakeside redevelopment happens over the next twenty years, but she felt patience is needed. She reiterated her frustration with the developers not being willing to build anything other than high-rise apartments, and she emphasized the community deserves better. Planning Commissioner Pampreet Sarau thanked everyone involved in the presentation, and she added it is good to see the challenges other communities face and what they have done. She agreed they are trying to transform the City for the next generation, instead of having separate areas for living, working, shopping and entertainment. The new generation is looking for areas that have multiple uses, and she agreed this will not happen overnight. She felt once they have an area where they can actually start the concept, it may have some traction. She suggested they could possibly engage the younger generation to get their feedback, possibly they can help support and come up with other ways to get this started. She is very optimistic, having lived in this City for her entire adult life, and she is proud to be a resident here, so she is confident they will eventually achieve their goal. Special City Council Meeting Wednesday, August 28, 2024 Page 24 Councilman Radtke agreed that so many of their plazas are overparked, with too much parking provided almost everywhere, so one of their focuses needs to be slimming down the parking requirements. He recalled a developer who proposed a Savvy Sliders at a former bank located at 15 Mile and Van Dyke. The Planning Commission pushed back, stating that was not their vision for the area. The developer commented that it would never get redeveloped, and it would just remain vacant; however, he withdrew his application, and it is now going to be a jewelry store, currently being remodeled. He emphasized they do not always have to go with the first proposal but need to take what they feel is the best proposal. He emphasized it is their job to “stick to the plan,” and the monetary incentive of the developers does not always match the incentive of the City, which is to do what is best for the residents. He stated they should be striving to provide quality of life for their residents. He pointed out that the City of Troy does not allow drive- throughs in their mixed-use development. He reminded by prohibiting drive- throughs in a specific node does not mean they cannot locate it a half mile away. He felt if businesses wanted to be involved in the Master Plan, they would be here now, adding that when residents want something or do not want something, they attend the meetings. Councilwoman Koski questioned whether Dr. Parcell is familiar with what is going on in Rochester Hills with regard to the success of their mixed-use districts. She referred to the two apartment buildings, each three stories, and retail office, which is two stories. She questioned what they did to make that a successful Special City Council Meeting Wednesday, August 28, 2024 Page 25 development and what Sterling Heights could do to have a successful development like that. Ms. Bahm replied to inquiry that it starts with a good Master Plan, a good cohesive vision, and good regulatory rules. Rochester Hills has this, and they have revised their zoning a couple of times to make sure they are getting it right. They make sure people understand the vision and why they want development to look the way it does. She noted people do not always pay as much attention to things as the City thinks they should, so the City needs to help them become more familiar with their visions and zoning expectations. Councilwoman Koski stated she would like to see the City’s Office of Planning put what they want in writing. If the City makes it known what they are looking for, possibly they can get someone to buy into it. She does not feel “mixed use” is descriptive enough, and if that is what a developer wants to do, they should be specific as to exactly what they are proposing. It could be that their plan may be good for one area but not for another. She emphasized that she does not want to live in New York City or Boston, so she does not feel that six-story buildings are a good fit for this area, especially right on the road. She would like the City to see what Rochester Hills is doing and come up with some suggestions that might work for Sterling Heights. Councilwoman Ziarko stated there is always room for improvement, and she felt Sterling Heights always competes against itself to be a better place to live, work, and raise a family. She thanked everyone who participated in tonight’s Special City Council Meeting Wednesday, August 28, 2024 Page 26 presentations. She understands the location of the nodes and questioned whether each node would be required to have the same restrictions. She questioned whether one node could be designated as an entertainment district, whereas another could be housing, or whether they all have to have mixed use. Councilwoman Ziarko questioned how they can entice a business owner and blend in with a specific node. She cited the example of an area that may tie in with a bike path, and possibly a store selling running shoes, or a bike repair shop, would be interested in going into that area. The City can claim they have the very first robotic manicurist in the State of Michigan, and it is because a business owner decided to try it. She felt they need to attract business owners who are willing to try something new. She respected all of the individuals here tonight who helped to put the presentation together. She credited them for being very knowledgeable in their fields, and the City pays them a lot of money to give them the best advice they can, whether it is from a development standpoint for the Master Plan, or whether it is advice on the legal aspect. She felt they need to be open-minded and added that they will always be using automobiles so they cannot eliminate parking spaces. She cited a quote from a friend she has at the Library, who reminded her of the proverb that “the person who sows the seed does not always enjoy the shade.” She pointed out that they need to sow the seeds, although they may not be here when it is complete, but someone has to start moving forward to make it a better place. Special City Council Meeting Wednesday, August 28, 2024 Page 27 Planning Commissioner Brandy Wright talked about missing middle housing, yet other communities seem to be having this type of development. She inquired as to whether those developers have been approached to see why they have not invested in Sterling Heights. Dr. Parcell assured that housing is at the forefront of his mind and that of City Development. He stated there are barriers to doing a development at a lower density based on parking conditions, cost to develop, and other challenges that they have to work through. They engage and come up with a lot of creative solutions, looking at whether or not they are feasible based on the site. He is hopeful they will be seeing innovative developments coming forward soon with the support of Administration, Planning Commission, and City Council. Planning Commissioner Wright stated she understands there is the idea that they need to work more with the developers; however, she stressed she is not a professional, but they all work together to create the Master Plan. As Commissioners, they are supposed to take the vision of the City Council, who represents all citizens, and follow it. She could not see a reason to work with the developers if they are not willing to consider the vision of City Council. She agrees they can give these developers an opportunity to make changes to their plans to closely align with that vision, but she does not believe they should “just give in;” otherwise, the City will never see the changes they are seeking. Mayor Taylor thanked the Giffels Webster team and the City’s internal team. He appreciated the presentation. He stated when he saw some of the case studies, Special City Council Meeting Wednesday, August 28, 2024 Page 28 they seem to focus on housing, and that seems to be the key catalyst in each of these projects. He has experienced frustration recently because of housing projects getting denied, and in order to realize some of the mixed-use ideas, they need to get housing as close to these corners as possible. He felt density and housing will drive further development. He stressed that there is a huge need for housing at this time. Until they can show that density works in areas such as 15 Mile and Schoenherr and 15 Mile and Van Dyke, he does not see a lot of developers willing to come in and completely redevelop large shopping centers, especially when they are still making money. He felt the City should be somewhat accommodating to these developers to get housing, and they have to start somewhere and hope it grows from there. He thanked the Planning Commission members, his colleagues on City Council, the Office of Planning staff, and the representatives from Giffels Webster for being here this evening. 7. COMMUNICATIONS FROM CITIZENS Mayor Taylor opened the floor for public comments. • Joe Romano – stated he is here tonight as County Commissioner, a real estate broker in the City of Sterling Heights for over fifty years, as well as a resident of Sterling Heights for over fifty years; he could understand why developers are putting up a three-story apartment building rather than constructing single-family homes, noting the apartments are much more cost-effective and it is always about the money; he pointed out he could have moved anywhere but he loves Sterling Heights and that is where he chose to live, raise his children, and work; commended the City on the Master Plan; he pointed out it is not the mixed use that attracts people to Sterling Heights, but it is the amenities the City offers, including Sterlingfest, Sterling Christmas, Dodge Park, Farmer’s Market, skate park, and on and on; people who want these amenities and want to live in Sterling Heights need housing, and that is built by the developers, who are putting up apartments and condominiums; he agrees that some of the Special City Council Meeting Wednesday, August 28, 2024 Page 29 projects that are coming before them are not attractive, but hopefully, Planning and Zoning can curb what does not look good; he commented the City has some of the best developers, and the City Planner makes sure that what is put up is nice, otherwise, it is not approved; he commented that mixed use is not feasible nor sustainable, and questioned who will be shopping in these small shops when they have Amazon, Meijer, and Kroger available to them; he stated he would love to see a city center in Sterling Heights, but he felt it is too late for that, noting the ideal location would have been along Dodge Park Road, between 15 Mile Road and Utica Road; he added the weather in Michigan is not conducive for all outdoor businesses; he felt the Master Plan is good but cautioned that have to deviate from it at times. 8. CLOSED SESSION PERMITTED UNDER ACT 267 OF 1976 Mr. Kaszubski stated are no items for Closed Session this evening. 9. ADJOURN Moved by Ziarko, seconded by Schmidt, RESOLVED, to adjourn the meeting. Yes: All. The motion carried (All). The meeting adjourned at 8:49 p.m. MELANIE D. RYSKA, City Clerk