Troy council approves Somerset West PUD with 120‑foot buffer after weeks of resident concern

Troy City Council on June 9 approved a Planned Unit Development (PUD) concept and the Phase 1 preliminary plan for the 40‑acre Somerset West project — the redevelopment of the former Kmart headquarters site — but amended the plan to require a 120‑foot buffer between the new development and the single‑family neighborhood north of Cunningham Drive.

The project, presented by the applicant team and planning consultant Ben Carlisle, is to be anchored by a University of Michigan specialty medical facility of roughly 200,000–250,000 square feet. The concept plan submitted to the council sets maximum allowances across the full PUD of up to 500,000 square feet of office, 300,000 square feet of retail, a 250‑room hotel and 750 residential units. The University of Michigan parcel is described by the applicant as a roughly 17‑acre…