Council postpones decision on South Rochester Road gas station; MDOT driveway and drive‑thru stacking cited

Rochester Hills City Council on April 7 postponed consideration of a conditional-use request for demolition and construction of a new gasoline station and a convenience store with a drive-through at 3420 South Rochester Road, citing outstanding state review and unresolved traffic/stacking concerns.

The proposed project would demolish the existing service station and construct an approximately 8,348-square-foot convenience store with a drive-through, four fuel islands (eight pumps), and site landscaping. Planning staff said the site is roughly 1.33 acres and planning commission recommended approval with minor landscape modifications. The applicant presented internal stacking and circulation designs, but council members and staff stressed the need for a finalized MDOT driveway permit and further confirmation that vehicle stacking will not create unsafe queuing on Rochester Road.

Key points from the discussion

- Project and site: Proposed building roughly 8,348 sq ft on a 1.33-acre site; project illustrations included a dedicated drive-through lane and an on-site leased space intended for a restaurant occupant. - Applicant remarks: The applicant indicated the likely tenant for the drive-through space is Dunkin’ (the applicant said: “There’s a good chance it’s gonna be Dunkin’ Donuts”). He described the convenience store as a full-service operation with in-house food preparation and said the design includes backroom and mezzanine storage to support larger-scale merchandising. - MDOT and stacking: City staff noted the city’s drive‑through stacking requirement starts at 10 spaces; MDOT has its own driveway-permit requirements that can call for up to 17 stacking spaces. Staff cautioned the council that MDOT review remains outstanding and that MDOT’s permit will govern access onto the state right-of-way. Planning Commission and staff conditioned local approval on receiving MDOT signoff.

Why council postponed

Council members repeatedly noted the project’s location at or near the M‑59 interchange and expressed concern that drive‑through stacking and vehicle queuing could create conflicts with the nearby ramps. Council said it did not want to bias MDOT’s independent review but found it prudent to have MDOT’s driveway determination and the city staff’s final technical review before approving the conditional use.

The motion and next steps

A motion to postpone the conditional-use consideration until the applicant secures MDOT approval and satisfies city staff review passed unanimously. Staff and the applicant agreed the applicant will return with the MDOT driveway permit and additional engineering data (MDOT had requested hydrology/stormwater testing and additional right-of-way details) before council resumes consideration. The applicant acknowledged the additional cost of the hydrology work but agreed to proceed only after clarifying approvals.

Ending

Council’s postponement leaves the application in limbo while the applicant completes MDOT’s permit process and related engineering. Staff indicated that if MDOT and city staff later determine that circulation or stacking requires changes, the city may require further plan revisions or remand the conditional-use approval back to the Planning Commission.