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Planning commission recommends approval of Kroger PUD and 85‑unit apartment with traffic and pedestrian conditions
Summary
The commission recommended approval of a planned unit development at 14 Mile and Coolage for a Kroger supermarket, fueling station and adjacent apartment building of about 84–85 units, subject to conditions addressing a traffic conflict at the 14 Mile entrance, a protected central pedestrian walkway, revised parking layout, and efforts to secure a covered bus stop.
After preliminary acceptance last December, developers returned April 14 with a final Planned Unit Development (PUD) and final site plan for the redevelopment of an older industrial parcel at 14 Mile Road and Coolage that would host a Kroger supermarket with fueling and an apartment building of roughly 84–85 units.
Staff described key changes since the preliminary approval: a community space next to a rain garden, a water feature in the apartment detention basin, six EV charging stations tied to the apartment building, revised building materials and signage, and a reduction in parking from an initial 388 spaces to 314. The apartment component was described alternately in materials as 84 and 85 units; staff and applicant acknowledged the apartment count and parking ratios were finalized in the tabular site materials.
Traffic impacts were the focus of the hearing. The city's traffic consultant and the petitioner's traffic study agreed the primary operational concern is a conflict at the 14‑Mile Road drive entrance, where vehicles entering the site could cut across a drive aisle toward the fueling station. Petitioner representatives said a raised triangular landscaped island would prevent immediate left turns into the fueling drive; the city consultant recommended extending that landscaped island and removing up to 12 parking spaces to form a continuous protective island and clearer circulation. Commissioners and the peer reviewer discussed stacking at the signal, pedestrian safety, and delivery truck access. Several neighbors and nearby business owners supported redevelopment and said the current building is obsolete; others and multiple commissioners urged stronger pedestrian protections for connections between the apartment building and the grocery.
The applicant team (Dennis Cowan, attorney, and developer Frank Jarbo of Symmetry Management) said they had reduced sign clutter, increased native trees (159 proposed), added EV chargers, and improved connectivity and stormwater detention; they also referenced a planned $25,000 community contribution and a workforce‑housing commitment under discussion.
After extended Q&A with staff, the city's peer reviewer, applicants, and neighbors, a motion to recommend approval of the final PUD and site plan carried on a voice vote with conditions: (1) retain a raised landscaped island at the 14‑Mile entrance, (2) extend/modify adjacent landscape islands and remove up to 12 parking spaces to create a protected central walkway and safer circulation, (3) require clear pedestrian connectivity and design details (five‑foot minimum walkway), (4) add or refine required signage ("DO NOT ENTER/WRONG WAY" where appropriate), and (5) the applicant will pursue a covered SMART bus stop enclosure and coordinate with transit. The commission's recommendation (with the listed conditions) will go to the City Commission for final action.
