Planning commission approves rezoning of 9 Mile strip center to allow medical office and laundromat

The Southfield Planning Commission voted on Feb. 25 to recommend conditional rezoning of a small strip-center property on Nine Mile from I1 (industrial) to B3 (general business), clearing the way for a medical office to remain and a new laundromat to open.

Planner Tom (staff) told commissioners the property’s industrial designation made it unclear which special land uses applied and that B3 zoning with tailored exclusions would better match the building’s three-unit, retail-oriented character. The proposed conditions explicitly bar potentially objectionable uses including marijuana businesses, pawn shops, homeless shelters and transitional housing, full-service car washes, gas stations, sexually oriented businesses, soup kitchens, smoking lounges and major auto repair.

The owner, who gave his name on the record as "Wed AA W A L I D A O S T A," said he operates a similar laundromat in Dearborn and intends to split the center to keep a medical practice and add a 24-hour laundromat with staffed hours from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and unattended access overnight under camera surveillance. "Being busy at night would deter anybody from doing anything bad," he said, arguing the business would improve neighborhood safety and serve residents with nontraditional schedules.

Commissioners questioned staffing levels, maintenance and how the property would meet ADA and site-plan requirements. The planner said minor site adjustments (ADA reconfiguration, sidewalk and bike-rack work) would be handled through administrative site-plan review after rezoning. Commissioners also noted the city’s standard condition that a conditional rezoning agreement be executed within six months of city approval.

After discussion, a commissioner moved and the commission voted in favor of the recommendation to rezone the property to B3 under the staff-proposed conditions. The matter now moves to City Council for final action.

The commission’s action focused narrowly on use and conditions; any specific building alterations will be addressed through the city’s administrative site-plan process before construction begins.