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Developer seeks expanded signage at Shops at College Park; council asks for an agreed sign plan before vote
Summary
The Shops at College Park developer asked the Livonia City Council to amend the site’s development agreement to allow up to six monument signs and updated wall signage; city planning staff said the request is excessive and the council asked the developer and planning department to present a negotiated sign plan at the next meeting.
The development team for the Shops at College Park asked the Livonia City Council on Sept. 8 to amend the site's planned general development agreement to expand signage allowances, and council members said they want a negotiated sign plan from the developer and planning staff before taking a final vote.
Planning staff presented the request as the first amendment to the development agreement that the council approved Dec. 18, 2024, and said the petition (2024-02-02-03) addresses both wall signs and monument signs. Staff noted the site’s size and prominence — about 22 acres with roughly 1,000 feet of frontage on Haggerty Road and about 670 feet on Six Mile Road — but told the council that the current developer proposal is “excessive” and that staff would like time to work with the petitioner to produce a modified sign proposal.
Gerard Marcus, representing the development team, said the site is attracting top-line tenants who place a premium on signage. Marcus said the team is proposing a total of up to six monument signs (three along Haggerty and three along Six Mile) and modifications to wall signage; he added the team is willing to negotiate details, such as limiting monument signs for certain buildings to match the number of tenants.
Council members discussed whether the signage issue should go to the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) or be handled by council through an amendment to the development agreement. Planning staff and some council members preferred keeping the authority with the council for this unique, large development so sign decisions reflect the council’s priorities. Council members asked staff and the developer to prepare a consolidated overall sign plan for review prior to the council’s next regular meeting (Sept. 22).
No final amendment was adopted at the Sept. 8 study session. Council members indicated their willingness to place an approval on the regular meeting agenda contingent on a revised sign plan produced through discussions between the planning department and the developer. The developer said Whole Foods is under construction on the site and other leases are progressing; he estimated Whole Foods turnover in March 2026 and anticipated follow-on construction and tenant fit-outs across 2026.
Council members said they will review the revised signage plan at the next meeting before making a final determination.
