Council grants Suburban Studios a conditional one-year license after staff says length-of-stay is now compliant

The Auburn Hills City Council voted May 5 to issue a conditional one-year license to Suburban Studios at 1180 Doris Road after staff reported the property had addressed the length-of-stay violation and was making progress on remaining maintenance items.

City Clerk Laura Pierce told the council that Suburban Studios had been cited for noncompliance with city ordinances and had been given 60 days to address code violations and 120 days to address length-of-stay concerns. Pierce said the police inspected the hotel after a recent complaint and confirmed the length-of-stay violation is now in compliance, but that “there are still some property maintenance violations remaining” that are not life, safety, or health-and-welfare issues. Based on that assessment, staff recommended issuing a conditional license that would expire at the end of the year to allow ongoing improvements to be completed.

Matthew Otis, the hotel’s general manager, said the property had worked to address violations and adopted a new policy limiting individual stays to 80 days so that residents do not exceed the ordinance’s limits; he also described ongoing repairs such as new carpet, replacement furniture and expanded camera coverage.

Councilor Ferguson moved to issue a conditional one-year license to Suburban Studios, seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Hawkins; the motion passed on a unanimous vote.

Why it matters: the conditional license allows the hotel to continue operating while requiring the owner to complete remaining maintenance work. Staff characterized the outstanding issues as property-maintenance items rather than immediate threats to life, safety or health.

What’s next: the conditional license is set to expire Dec. 31, 2025; council or staff may revisit compliance if outstanding maintenance is not completed.