Council rezones Bush Street parcels to allow attached single‑family units; ordinance introduced

Southfield City Council on Dec. 16 voted to rezone roughly 1.1 acres on the north end of Bush Street from R‑1 single‑family to RT attached single‑family, clearing the way for an owner‑occupied attached condominium project.

The petitioner, Ken Allen of Harpo Chain Construction, said the rezoning would permit a controlled, owner‑occupied development with units that the planner said could be priced in a starter‑home range (the city cited comparable values from $300,000 to $450,000). Designer Mike Bishop and staff said the project could yield four to six attached units depending on layout, and that site‑plan review would address buffering, screening and preservation of an existing woodlot.

Neighbors raised objections. Henry Jesperson said he purchased a nearby property and fears impacts on privacy, wildlife and property values; Peg Palizewski, whose family has owned property on Bush Street since 1940, opposed the condominium concept and requested analysis of tax impacts. City staff said the assessor estimated no significant tax impact to adjacent properties and that site plan controls could require additional landscape screening as needed.

Council voted to approve PZR24‑0012 and to introduce ordinance number 1802 to effect the rezoning. Council members stressed that the rezoning only allows a change in zoning; any specific site plan would return for administrative review and, if required by unit count, to the council for input.

What happens next: ordinance 1802 was introduced and will follow the usual ordinance adoption process; site‑plan review and any required landscape or buffering conditions will be applied at the administrative or planning commission stage.