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Council rezones JL Hudson hotel for New Foster Care affordable-supportive housing project
Summary
The council approved rezoning and an overlay development plan to convert a vacant hotel on JL Hudson Drive into a 230‑unit supportive housing campus aimed at young people aging out of foster care, including integrated health and training services.
The Southfield City Council voted March 20 to rezone the former hotel at 16400 JL Hudson Drive to an Overlay Development District and approved a site plan to convert the vacant building into a mixed-use, supportive-housing campus operated by New Foster Care and partners.
"This is a project that will provide 230 units of supportive housing," Sarah Rennie, director of compliance and development for New Foster Care, told the council. The proposal calls for supportive units targeted at residents who have aged out of foster care, affordable housing set at specified area-median-income bands, on-site vocational and educational services, and integrated mental, dental and physical health services on the lower floors.
The project would repurpose the existing hotel structure and add community-oriented amenities including a green roof, community garden and a community kitchen. Rennie said some space on the upper floors would be set aside for private office suites and that educational programming would be available to the broader community when not in use by the project's residents.
City staff said environmental testing and a structural analysis have been completed and that the building is feasible for renovation, though the site currently requires remediation and a full build-out before certificates of occupancy would be issued. Council members asked staff to ensure final inspections and building-department certifications before occupancy.
Councilwoman Hogue moved approval of the zoning and site plan; the motion, supported by Councilwoman Haines, passed unanimously. The council also introduced ordinance 18-09 to implement the overlay zoning; the introduction was moved and supported and will proceed to the required public-adoption steps.
The developer and project partners described the plan as a pilot model to provide stable housing and wraparound services for youth who leave foster care with limited supports. City officials said the site will require phased construction and close coordination with building, fire and health departments before residents move in.
