Council delays decision on 13 Mile Mulberry Park/Tabernacle PUD after residents and staff raise traffic, density and tree-loss concerns

City Council on March 3 continued the public hearing and voted 6–1 to postpone action on Planned Unit Development (PUD) 02/2024 — the Mulberry Park and Tabernacle multifamily proposal on 13 Mile Road — after weeks of revisions from the developer and lengthy public comment from nearby residents.

The applicant, Schaeffer Development, presented a revised plan that reduced the total units from 76 to 69 and reconfigured the site to move stormwater to a single eastern basin, increase the rear setbacks facing Holly Hill Farms, add sidewalks and two small park spaces, and provide a proposed frontage area for public art. The developer also proposed a direct connection into the Baptist Manor campus and removal of several blighted structures on the property.

The proposal drew sustained opposition from residents of Westgate and Holly Hill Farms who said the plan remains too dense, will worsen traffic on 13 Mile and increase noise and privacy impacts despite the setbacks. Several speakers urged the council to require a lower unit count and more single-story units along the southern property line. Council members and staff said the city’s review of a developer-submitted traffic study raised technical questions and arrived too late to give councilors sufficient time for full evaluation, prompting the motion to continue the hearing to May 12, 2025.

Why it matters: The 13 Mile corridor parcel has been the subject of earlier proposals and community concern for years; it is adjacent to long-established single-family neighborhoods. The PUD would change how the site is developed and add a mix of for-sale townhomes and 55+ ranch-style rental units that the developer says will provide “missing middle” and attainable housing in Farmington Hills.

What the developer changed: Aaron Schaffer, with Schaeffer Development, told the council the revised plan removed one building, reduced the unit count to 69, increased rear setbacks (to about 83–85 feet in places), consolidated stormwater into an eastern pond, and added sidewalks, two small amenity parks and a space intended for public art on the 13 Mile frontage. The plan also lowers the total room count used to calculate zoning density (from roughly 268 rooms in the prior submission to about 243), dropping units-per-acre from about 6.3 to about 5.5 in the applicant’s calculations.

Traffic and engineering review: The applicant submitted an updated traffic impact analysis; city engineering staff reviewed that report after it arrived late in the packet period and raised follow-up questions. The applicant’s traffic consultant used micro-simulation modeling and reported that the project would increase average delay for the Westgate southbound approach by roughly seven seconds per vehicle and would not materially increase queue lengths (modeled queuing remained about two vehicles, roughly 48–49 feet). City staff said they did not find a substantive engineering error in the modeling but flagged differences between the earlier and latest studies that required clarification. Councilors and multiple residents also raised concerns about the signal timing at the nearby Detroit Baptist Drive intersection (a roughly 110-second signal cycle noted in the presentation) and asked staff and the developer to explore deceleration/transition lane improvements on 13 Mile at the Westgate access.

Neighborhood concerns: More than a dozen residents spoke during the public hearing. Common themes included: the plan’s density relative to surrounding projects (several speakers contrasted this proposal to Cove Creek and other nearby developments), safety and queuing on 13 Mile, loss of mature trees and open space, construction impacts (mud and heavy equipment staging), and longstanding site blight including open structures and vehicles on the properties. One frequent comment: “density, density, density,” from Amy Broglen Petersen, who said revisions did not sufficiently address the original concerns.

Council reaction and next steps: Council members praised aspects of the revision — the additional setback, the connection into Baptist Manor and the addition of sidewalks and public-art space — but several members said the plan remains too dense for the site and that more work is needed on traffic mitigations and the southern building types (some councilors asked that single-story units be extended along the shared property line). After council discussion, a motion to postpone a final decision to the City Council meeting on May 12, 2025 carried 6–1. The postponement gives staff, the traffic engineers and the developer time to reconcile the outstanding traffic questions, consider additional buffering or one-story units along the southern edge, and return with updated materials.

Quotes: “A lot of the comments that were made in January and February, we addressed in this revision,” Aaron Schaffer, Schaeffer Development, told council. “We reduced the unit count, increased setbacks, and consolidated the ponds. We want to create a place that fits into the neighborhood.”

“Density, density, density,” said Amy Broglen Petersen, a Holly Hill Farms resident, summarizing her view of the project’s core problem.

“I just don’t think this is the place for it,” Council Member Randy Bruce said during deliberations, noting long-standing single-family character and concerns about changing expectations for neighboring property owners.

Votes and action: Council voted 6–1 to postpone consideration of PUD 02/2024 (Mulberry Park and Tabernacle) to May 12, 2025. The council did not adopt the PUD or any conditions at the March 3 meeting.

What to watch for: The developer and city staff will return with refined traffic analysis and proposed off-site mitigation (including a possible deceleration taper), and council members indicated they want either lower density or more single-story units along the southern property line. The May 12 hearing will include staff memos responding to the traffic questions and any revised site or elevation plans.

Ending note: Residents and councilors emphasized preservation of mature trees and clear maintenance requirements for properties before final approval. The developer said blighted structures and debris would be removed as part of any approved redevelopment.