Resident tells Troy planning commission consent judgment and developer ties left neighborhoods unprotected

At the start of the May 27, 2025 meeting of the Troy City Planning Commission, resident Mary Ellen Bargain urged the commission to adopt policies to protect long‑standing neighborhoods from large commercial developments and said she was “deeply concerned and frankly outraged.” Bargain said she learned that an individual she named was connected to Kmart and that that connection made “more sense how the data center was pushed through with such force.”

Bargain told commissioners she and her family had invested decades in their home and said that “vague promises from Mr. Forbes do not satisfy — this should not satisfy this commission. It is not in writing.” She asked what the commission was doing to protect established neighborhoods “from being abused by developers with deep pockets and long connections.”

Commissioners and staff addressed the concern later during planning commission comments. Commissioners noted that some terms are fixed by existing consent agreements and PUD language, and that the planning commission’s scope is limited by prior zoning and legal commitments. Commissioners said the concept development plan contains general buffering and setback language and that detailed landscaping, berming and setback questions will be addressed when a specific site‑plan application for the northern property is filed and goes through a public hearing. Planning staff advised that site plans for parcels covered by a consent judgment will still come back to the commission for detailed review; city council remains a locus for negotiating terms that fall outside zoning authority.

No formal action was taken on Bargain’s remarks; her comments were recorded as public comment and commissioners discussed the procedural path for neighbors to seek more detailed buffering and landscaping in future applications.