Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Planning commission denies revised Woodward Avenue site plan, directs dumpsters returned by pool
Loading...
Summary
Royal Oak planners voted 3–1 to deny the revised site plan for a 103-unit Woodward Avenue apartment complex after neighbors said a proposed north-end dumpster enclosure would create nuisance conditions; commissioners directed staff to administratively approve an enclosure at the original pool-side location instead.
Royal Oak Planning Commission members voted to deny a revised site plan for a two-building apartment complex on Woodward Avenue that proposed a permanent dumpster enclosure at the north end of the property, and directed staff to grant an administrative site-plan approval placing the dumpsters by the pool.
The petitioners — represented by attorney Seth Hawkins — sought permission to enclose and formalize a cluster of refuse containers at the back (north) of a property that contains two buildings and 103 dwellings. Hawkins told the commission the location had been used historically for dumpsters and that his clients had increased refuse pickups to twice weekly, repaired broken lids and would build a masonry enclosure to conceal the containers.
Neighbors and property owners speaking in public comment said the proposed enclosure would move heavy trash activity into the front yards of nearby Babcock co-op residences, worsen odors and vermin problems they have experienced, obstruct sightlines and reduce property values. Terry Schroeder, a resident at 2121 Clawson Avenue, told the commission the new location would turn “our front yard” into a place to view dumpsters and said residents had deployed rat traps because of persistent trash and overflow.
Planning staff told the commission the site’s prior location — between the two buildings on a reinforced concrete pad — better satisfied zoning criteria intended to minimize visibility to adjacent residential uses and preserve reasonable equal distance between buildings served. Staff opposed administratively signing off on the petitioners’ preferred location because it did not meet several zoning provisions meant to minimize nuisance to nearby properties.
Commissioners considered operational fixes (more frequent pickups, different dumpster sizes) and design mitigations (a masonry enclosure with reinforced foundation and bollard-supported gates). Several commissioners said they were sympathetic to the petitioners’ efforts but troubled that moving the refuse area would shift the burden onto nearby single-family and coop residents. Commissioner [Sharlyn Douglas] moved to deny the site plan and asked staff to work with the applicants to issue administrative approval for the enclosure in the pool-side location; the motion carried on a roll-call vote.
The commission did not approve the petitioners’ proposed north-end enclosure; instead it instructed planning staff to pursue an administrative approval that returns dumpsters to the location near the pool — the site that staff and some commissioners said better met the ordinance’s objectives. The commission recorded the denial and the staff direction as its formal action.
Next steps: The planning department will draft an administrative site-plan approval that places the dumpster enclosure adjacent to the pool and address the technical comments (gates, bollards, dumpster sizing and concrete pad). The applicant may return with revised drawings, and staff will follow up on operational conditions such as pickup frequency and recycling placement.
