Commission recommends rezoning of Longfellow School site to R‑3 to allow private education and workforce housing; sends approval to City Council

The Saginaw Planning Commission voted to recommend rezoning 1314 Brown Street from R‑1 to R‑3 after a public hearing that drew neighborhood residents and the project team. The applicant, Renee Torres of T and S Constructing, said the plan would repurpose the Longfellow School building for a pre‑apprenticeship trades training program run by a nonprofit and include workforce‑oriented, efficiency apartments to make the operation financially sustainable.

Why it matters: Rezoning would change what uses are allowed on the property going forward; R‑3 would add private educational facilities and a range of multi‑unit housing uses, and the change runs with the parcel if City Council adopts it. Commissioners heard detailed questions about how many apartments and…