Livonia council approves Brownfield plan, clearing way for 100 townhomes at 7 Mile and Victor

The Livonia City Council voted 7-0 on Jan. 13, 2025, to adopt a Brownfield plan and authorize tax-increment financing for a Robertson Brothers Homes project to build roughly 100 residential townhomes on the north side of 7 Mile Road near Victor, council members said.

The Brownfield financing is intended to reimburse developer costs tied to environmental remediation and infrastructure needed to prepare the site for construction, Robertson Homes president Daria Neubacher told the council. Neubacher said the site contains deep peat and other fill that makes development expensive without reimbursement from a Brownfield plan.

The plan matters locally because it pairs cleanup with new housing and preserves a substantial open space buffer between the new development and an existing neighborhood north of the site. Neubacher and council members described the open space as about 500 feet from the nearest new building to the nearest homes to the north; the developer said the site topography drops about 16 feet from north to south and that the proposed townhomes would be three stories high but sit lower than the adjacent neighborhood.

Neubacher said the property has been subject to a long history of litigation and a consent judgment that the council modified to allow residential uses. She told the council the developer spent the past year investigating geotechnical and environmental conditions and that the Brownfield reimbursement would help cover the cost of removing and replacing approximately 12–15 feet of peat and other fill material. Neubacher also said Brownfield reimbursements are typically paid over many years and estimated — in the meeting record — that the developer does not receive full reimbursement immediately (the developer described a reimbursement timeline on the order of years).

City planning staff told the council the next formal steps, if the Brownfield resolution passed, would be submission of a detailed site plan to the planning commission and then a final site-plan review by council; the developer must also seek state water and sewer permits before vertical construction, staff said.

Resident speakers asked about public notice and long-term preservation of the open space. John Fitch, a resident to the north, said he had not received notice and asked whether the project already had approval; a city staff member explained the Brownfield public hearing was held Dec. 9, 2024, and that notifications and newspaper advertisements are part of the Brownfield process. Neubacher told the council the open space north of the buildings would be preserved through the development’s master deed and that the developer plans landscaping, berms, a wrapped sidewalk and passive recreation elements.

Council member Donovic moved to approve the Brownfield resolution; Vice President Tashnik supported the motion. The clerk recorded the vote as Budzinski — Aye; Schiel — Aye; Morgan — Aye; Choi — Aye; Donovic — Aye; Vice President Tashnik — Aye; President McCullough — Aye. The motion passed 7–0.

Council members and the petitioner described the site as previously investigated by environmental consultants and said they expect Brownfield tax-increment financing to be used to reimburse eligible remediation and site-preparation costs. Neubacher said the developer’s goal is to complete permitting and site-work approvals this year and start vertical construction as soon as site utilities and permitting allow.

Votes at a glance

• Item 11 — Resolution approving Brownfield plan and tax-increment financing for the "7 & Victor" Robertson Brothers Homes planned development (about 100 residential townhomes): Motion carried 7–0 (mover: Council member Donovic; second: Vice President Tashnik). Public hearing previously held Dec. 9, 2024.

• Item 12 — Proposed lot split for property south of 8 Mile and east of Merriman Road (petition 2024-11-LS-15): Motion carried 7–0. Council approved a 30-foot right-of-way waiver to serve the two proposed parcels; city engineering advised that 30 feet is sufficient to serve the two parcels but recommended 50 feet if adjacent parcels are later developed.

• Item 13 — Acceptance of a 6-foot public utility easement from UAG Realty LLC for sanitary sewer at 32400 Plymouth Road: Motion carried 7–0.

Background and next steps

Neubacher told the council Robertson Homes will return with a formal site plan and go before the planning commission and council again for final site-plan approval. City staff indicated any additional easements, rights-of-way or state permits required for utilities will need to be secured before construction. Neubacher said the developer expects Brownfield reimbursements to be claimed over time as eligible work is completed and invoiced.

The council’s resolution authorizes the Brownfield plan and TIF mechanism; it does not itself approve the final site plan or building permits. The council record notes the Brownfield application was accompanied by environmental consultant reports and that the petitioner committed to preserving the northern open space as part of the recorded development documents.