Walled Lake council denies rezoning request for 1215 Decker Road

The Walled Lake City Council voted 4-2 to deny a request to rezone 1215 Decker Road from I-1 (light industrial) to RM-2 (multi-family residential), adopting Resolution 2025-07.

The rezoning had been recommended for approval by the city's planning consultant in a report that concluded an RM-2 use could be compatible with adjacent residences and act as a buffer between lower-density homes to the north and industrial uses to the south. The application was denied by the planning commission and then taken up by council after the applicant appealed that recommendation.

At the March meeting, the applicant's team said they would work with the city and neighbors on site design if rezoning were approved. "We weren't really given a lot of clear feedback for the recommendation to deny," said Andy Eckert of Ghafari Associates, who presented engineering and site materials on behalf of the applicant.

Council members who voted to deny cited several concerns. Members pointed to a high-pressure gas line that crosses the southern portion of the parcel, proximity of new residential access to existing neighborhood driveways on Decker Road and anticipated traffic congestion on a two-lane road used by several nearby subdivisions. The council also noted that the planning consultant's earlier emphasis on on-site wetlands had been undercut by more recent information that the state does not consider those wetlands regulated, removing one argument in favor of residential redevelopment.

Councilman Lublin moved to approve the resolution denying rezoning; the motion carried. The tally as recorded at the meeting was: Yes (to adopt the denial resolution) ' Lublin, Osenic, Woods, Ackley; No ' Ambrose, Fernandez. Council member Locke had been excused earlier in the meeting.

The resolution and the planning commission's recommendation are now part of the public record; any future application would need to address the safety and traffic concerns raised by council and the planning commission.

Resolution number: 2025-07. Parcel referenced in the application: 17-26-376-172.

A representative for the applicant said at the meeting that an alternate plan that aligns with the current zoning would be considered and that the applicant may return with a revised proposal.

Context: The planning commission held the required public hearing in January and recommended denial at its March meeting. The council vote concluded the city's review of this particular rezoning request.