Planning commission recommends approval of cluster site plan at former Boys Republic with 7-acre conservation easement

The Farmington Hills City Planning Commission voted on Oct. 16 to recommend that city council approve a cluster site plan for the former Boys Republic property at 28000 West Nine Mile Road, subject to conditions including resolving consultant comments and formalizing a seven‑acre conservation easement.

The application from Eureka Development asks to build 52 units in 13 single‑story buildings on the southern portion of a roughly 79.81‑acre parcel. The proponent offered a voluntary nature preservation conservation easement covering about seven acres on the north end of the site; the commission’s motion makes that dedication a condition of the approval for phase 1.

The commission’s planner and the applicant described the proposal in detail. Jim Butler, a civil engineer with PEA Group, said the submission is for phase 1 (south of the Rouge River) and that drawings have been reviewed by the city planner’s consultant, the fire department and the city engineer. Aaron Nicole, representing Eureka Development, told the commission the ownership “has voluntarily offered a nature preservation conservation easement on a north end 7 acres” and that Oakland County Parks has expressed interest in maintaining the conserved area.

Why it matters: The proposal redevelops a long‑vacant institutional campus into residential units and incorporates a sizeable conservation area and pedestrian connections to Nine Mile Road.…