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Planning commission grants preliminary approval to 57-unit Wilshire Center with conservation-easement condition
Summary
The commission approved preliminary site plan and special-use approval for Wilshire Center, a 57-unit townhome development on a 15-acre site north of Wilshire and east of Crooks, contingent on a conservation easement protecting the berm and other conditions to shield adjacent homes and wetlands.
The City of Troy Planning Commission on Feb. 24 granted preliminary site plan and special-use approval to the Wilshire Center development (SPJPLN 2024-0022), a proposed 57-unit attached-residential project on a 15-acre site behind the former Magna/NSI property.
Planning staff described site constraints: a regulated wetland in the northeast corner will remain undisturbed; an existing 10-foot landscape berm that buffers an adjacent single-family subdivision will have to be partially reconfigured to provide vehicular access; and several deed restrictions and a homeowners association (HOA) agreement affect the berm. Staff recommended approval subject to conditions, including execution of a conservation easement in favor of the city and HOA to protect the remaining berm area.
The applicant's plan proposes eight buildings with two-car garages for each unit and a small number of guest parking spaces along I-75. The development would preserve approximately 109 of the surveyed trees on site (staff reported 203 total trees were surveyed) and provide additional plantings in mitigation; the plan calls for a permanent conservation designation on the conserved berm area.
Neighbors raised concerns at the public hearing, asking for a formal noise-impact study, stricter tree-preservation guarantees and clarity about setbacks, lighting and maintenance. Several residents said the berm's vegetation is a long-standing privacy and noise buffer and asked that tree loss be minimized. The developer and civil engineer described measures they plan to use: a redefined berm configuration, dense evergreen plantings (arborvitae and other screen trees), premium windows and insulation to reduce highway noise intrusion, and a maintenance regime governed by the project's HOA.
Staff and commissioners noted the revised layout is substantially less dense than earlier proposals for the site (previous concepts had over 200 units), yielding about 3.8 units per acre comparable to conventional single-family zoning in the city. Planning staff said the 54-foot setback from the nearest existing property line and additional proposed landscaping provide transition and buffering; the commission conditioned final approval on detailed conservation-easement language acceptable to the city attorney and the HOA.
On a roll-call vote, commissioners approved the motion for preliminary site plan and special-use approval subject to the listed conditions. The approval is preliminary; final approval is contingent on the applicant meeting the conditions, including the recorded conservation easement and final engineering and legal reviews.
