Sterling Heights council delegates final approval of new master land use plan amid public objections

Sterling Heights City Council voted 6-1 to waive its statutory right to be the final approver of the citymaster land use plan and delegated final approval authority to the Sterling Heights Planning Commission.

The vote came after a presentation from City Planner Dr. Jake Purcell on a yearlong rewrite of the master land use plan that staff said produced roughly 5,000 public comments and outreach to about 30,000 addresses. City staff told council the rewrite updated the 2017 plan to reflect new strategies, the climate action and sustainability plans, and recent subarea planning for North Van Dyke Avenue.

The master plan matters because it guides zoning decisions, development priorities and long-term infrastructure and open-space strategies across the city. Council members and several public speakers tied their remarks to one parcel along North Van Dyke that has generated interest from the Chaldean Community Foundation (CCF) and to a separate parcel near Hall Road and Starett Street that residents and property owners disputed.

Dr. Purcell summarized the public-engagement process and identified two parcels that drew the most written comment; he told council the Planning Commission would hold a public hearing on the draft plan as required by state law. "We had a very, very open process that we're very proud of," Purcell said. The draft plan also flags several nodes and includes a cleanup of mismatched parcel boundaries before the public hearing.

Speakers representing property interests urged council to adopt the version of the future land use map that was published for the 63-day statutory public comment period. Jim Epping, representing Nottingham Commercial LLC, said developers and property owners rely on the published future land use map and that changes after the public-comment period are substantive. "With any public process, when it goes to public comment, our assumption is, and I think the public's assumption is that's a locked document," Epping said.

Nottingham Commercialrepresentative Richard Sable asked council to retain the final decision rather than delegate it to the Planning Commission. Other public commenters pressed different concerns: resident Emily Young urged protection for a landmark oak and nearby wetlands, and Lisa Graff said a widely repeated statement that "8 acres will be preserved as open space" was inaccurate in her view and that more of the site would be disturbed if the proposed plan moved forward. "That is actually not true," Graff said during public comment.

Council discussion covered the statutory process (the city noted it may reserve final approval under the Michigan Planning Enabling Act) and whether the public should be re-noticed if staff or commissioners make substantive map changes after the formal comment period. Councilmember Radke, who asked to vest the Planning Commission with final authority, said the commission had conducted extensive supplemental meetings and that delegating final approval would be appropriate. Councilmember Arco spoke for retaining council review.

When council voted, the motion to delegate final approval authority to the Planning Commission carried 6-1. The council recorded the outcome as a carried motion (yes 6, no 1). The Planning Commission's public hearing has already been noticed; staff said administrative edits noted in the presentation will be incorporated for that hearing and no additional substantive changes to policies or priorities were expected from staff at this stage.

The public record on the draft plan includes letters from residents near Hall and Starett opposing a proposed reclassification, a late submission from a property owner seeking regional commercial designation at another intersection, and support letters from other community members. Dr. Purcell said state- and county-level planning offices had reviewed the draft; the Oakland County planner reported the draft was consistent with the county's 2017 plan.

Next steps: the Planning Commission will conduct its noticed public hearing on the draft master land use plan and then act under the delegated authority. Council members and property owners who requested changes said they would continue to press for clarifications during that hearing.

Votes at a glance: The council voted 6-1 to waive its right under the Michigan Planning Enabling Act (as referenced in meeting materials) and delegate final approval of the master land use plan to the Sterling Heights Planning Commission. No individual roll-call breakdown by name was recorded in the public transcript; council reported the tally as yes 6, no 1.