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Kroger seeks conditional rezoning for 100,000‑sq‑ft store at 14 Mile & Coolidge; commission postpones amid traffic and neighbor concerns
Summary
Kroger proposed demolishing an existing industrial building to build a ~100,000‑sq‑ft grocery with a drive‑through pharmacy, fuel canopy and pickup lanes; staff flagged many deviations and asked for a traffic study. Strong resident objections and concerns from an adjacent property owner prompted the petitioner to request a postponement; the commission voted to postpone to the next regular meeting (Aug. 12).
Kroger and its project team asked the Royal Oak Planning Commission for a conditional rezoning to change an 11‑acre site at Coolidge and 14 Mile from general industrial to general business and to allow a roughly 100,000‑square‑foot grocery store, a drive‑through pharmacy, outdoor display areas and a five‑pump fuel canopy.
Joseph Murphy, the city’s director of planning, walked the commission through the proposal and the packet’s many deviations from zoning requirements: fewer than the ordinance‑required loading spaces for a building of this size; an excess of parking with insufficient trees and landscape to meet standards; sign variances; and other site deficiencies. He noted the master plan now designates the area as an “activity center” (walkable, mixed commercial/multifamily) but cautioned the master plan has not yet translated into a revised zoning code. The engineering division requested a traffic study; the applicant told the commission a preliminary traffic study is nearly complete and a final study will be provided soon.
Mike McPherson, civil engineer for the project, described the site as underused industrial property and called the Kroger store a potential catalyst for redevelopment consistent with the activity‑center designation. He said preliminary traffic work shows existing turn‑queues could operate but recommended turn‑lane tapers and right‑turn improvements along 14 Mile and Coolidge.
Public comment included sharp criticism from resident Trish Oliver, who listed previous approvals she said ignored residents’ objections and warned of congestion and tree loss. Richard Rassell, an attorney representing nearby Vogue Furniture, said Vogue had not been contacted by the developer and flagged a recorded ingress/egress easement between the properties; Rassell urged postponement until title work and a completed traffic study are available to assess potential overburdening of the easement. Other neighbors asked that the traffic analysis consider effects from an existing or proposed Sheetz nearby.
After debate about the conditional rezoning process (which packages rezoning plus site specifics and conditions) and confirmation that the final traffic study and revised plans were not yet provided, the petitioner requested postponement. A motion to postpone the matter and keep the public hearing open until the next regular Planning Commission meeting (the August 12 meeting) passed on roll call (commission recorded the vote in favor; the motion carried 3–2). The commission will revisit the petition after staff reviews the final traffic study and any revised site plans.
What changed: The commission did not vote on the conditional rezoning or site plan tonight; the petitioner will return with a final traffic study and revised materials, and staff will circulate changes to nearby property owners as required for the continued public hearing.
