Canton Planning Commission approves Viva Bene Canton senior living final PDD and site plan with traffic, sidewalk and design conditions

The Canton Township Planning Commission recommended approval of a final planned development district and site plan for Viva Bene Canton, a proposed 180‑unit independent living community at 46149 Ford Road.

The commission’s vote endorsed a motion to approve the final PDD and site plan application (parcel 062‑99‑0005‑700), with three conditions: revise plans to address planning staff comments on landscaping, lighting, dumpster enclosure and sign area; revise the PDD agreement per planning staff and legal counsel comments; and comply with all state, county and township requirements, including permitting and construction of the off‑site sidewalk along Ford Road and traffic signals at Ford Road and Canton Center Road.

The project applicant, Avenue Development, presented the plan for 180 independent‑living units — 140 in a main building and 40 attached cottage units — and said the development will include resident amenities such as a swimming pool, pickleball and bocce courts, a dog park and a clubhouse with fitness and care‑coordination space. “We’re looking to just, you know, move to a more independent living model,” project representative Matt Quapas said, describing a shift away from assisted‑living and memory‑care components previously proposed for the site.

Why it matters: Township staff and the applicant tied several of the approvals and modifications to traffic and pedestrian safety improvements on a busy regional corridor. Planner Patrick Sloan told the commission that the applicant’s traffic impact study recommends additional intersection signal work and an on‑site deceleration lane to reduce impacts to Ford Road traffic, and that the township engineering division is advocating with MDOT on those off‑site improvements.

Key facts and conditions: The staff report lists definite public benefits the applicant is offering, including building design, reconstruction/paving of the site approach on Gorman Road to add right and left turn lanes, extension of sidewalk along the south side of Ford Road about 620 feet to connect to existing sidewalk in front of Bell Tire, and addition of right‑turn signal phases at Ford Road and Canton Center Road. Sloan said the traffic consultant recommended “a 150 to 250 foot full width deceleration lane” at the right‑in/right‑out Ford Road driveway and that the township has notified MDOT of its support for that recommendation, though final authority rests with MDOT.

Staff also documented proposed modifications to the zoning standards: the applicant requests three ground signs where the current ordinance allows one per site (the planning commission has recommended a separate, pending amendment that would allow two signs along separate frontages). Sloan explained the three signs are intended to aid driver wayfinding on the high‑speed (55 mph) Ford Road corridor and on the residential Gorman Road access.

Design and landscaping: The applicant requested partial relief from masonry material standards for some building facades; staff identified percentages of brick and stone on different facades and deferred some decisions on secondary elevations to the planning commission because those sides face an adjacent development buffered by setbacks and landscaping. Staff recommended the applicant revise landscaping plans to meet unit landscaping standards if space allows, and noted section 5.07 of the zoning ordinance allows the planning commission to grant further modifications if required trees cannot be physically accommodated on the site.

Commission discussion and timing: Commissioners asked about the proposed primary care/wellness component in the clubhouse and confirmed it would be for residents only and focused on care coordination rather than an on‑site full medical clinic. The applicant said construction is intended to begin after engineering and permitting review and, if weather allows, possibly before winter; completion was discussed as potentially in 2027 if approvals and construction proceed on schedule.

Vote and outcome: The motion to approve the final PDD and site plan carried unanimously. The commission’s approval is a recommendation to the township board of trustees per the PDD review process; the conditions require plan revisions and coordination with MDOT for off‑site road work.

What’s next: The applicant must revise plans per staff and counsel comments, coordinate MDOT approval on the deceleration lane and signal work, and obtain required permits before construction can proceed.