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Farmington Hills council adopts public-art requirement, updates Arts Commission authority; Hunter Square PUD must include art
Summary
The city council adopted zoning text requiring public art with certain new developments and amended the city code to give the Farmington Area Arts Commission review authority. The Hunter Square PUD agreement approved later in the meeting contains public-art space and the developer agreed to work with city staff and the commission on installation.
Farmington Hills’ City Council on Oct. 27 adopted an ordinance requiring public art as part of certain new developments and amended the city code to add public-art review duties to the Farmington Area Arts Commission. The council also approved the amended Hunter Square planned unit development agreement and site plan; the agreement includes four designated public-art locations and the developer said it will work with staff and the Arts Commission on pieces and placement.
The public-art zoning text amendment (Ordinance C7-2025) adds a new requirement that developers include publicly accessible art or a contribution toward an approved art fund when projects meet thresholds set in the zoning code. Council also approved a companion code change (Ordinance C8-2025) that clarifies the Arts Commission’s role in reviewing and advising on proposals for that art.
"We intended the public-art requirement to preserve the character of neighborhoods while encouraging placemaking and pedestrian-friendly design," Planning Director Charmaine Kettler Schmoltz told council during second reading remarks. The Arts Commission language defines the commission’s responsibility for review and creates a process for staff to bring proposed artworks to the commission for comment before installation.
Later in the meeting, council approved the Hunter Square PUD agreement and revised site plan. Applicant representatives said the redevelopment includes four "iconic" art structures sited to promote pedestrian circulation through the shopping center; they told council crews were already on-site and demolition permits had been approved. City staff and the applicant indicated the public-art pieces will be coordinated with the newly empowered Arts Commission.
Council members supported the package during second reading and subsequent votes. The changes to the zoning code and city code will become part of the municipal code as prescribed in the ordinance-adoption process; staff said the Arts Commission’s guidelines and procedures will be developed now that the authority is codified. The Hunter Square agreement will be recorded with the Oakland County Register of Deeds along with the PUD terms that require the art installations.
City staff said projects approved before the code change but recorded after adoption will still be required to meet the public-art obligation that appears in the recorded PUD agreement for those properties.
The planning department and the city attorney will coordinate implementation steps and bring administrative procedures for the Arts Commission’s public-art review to the commission and council as needed.
