Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Downtown Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council approves nonbinding LOI with Cypress Partners for mixed‑use project, authorizes valet pilot and short‑term lease with Credit Union One
Summary
Council approved a nonbinding letter of intent with Cypress Partners to pursue due diligence on a mixed‑use project at 135 E. 9 Mile that would include a ~250‑space parking structure and housing above (developer estimates a net gain of ~40 public parking spaces). Council also approved DDA fee reductions for a downtown valet pilot and a short‑term lease with Credit Union One to host valet parking during a three‑month pilot.
The Ferndale City Council voted to advance talks with Cypress Partners on a concept to develop the city‑owned lot at 135 East Nine Mile, move forward with a downtown valet pilot and authorize a short‑term parking lease with Credit Union One.
Developer representatives said the conceptual plan would build roughly 250 parking spaces (three levels of parking with residential units above) and provide a combination of transient and resident spaces that, in the developer’s preliminary accounting, would recover lost private spaces and yield a modest net gain in public parking.
"This will have 250 parking spaces which includes 160 what we call transient spaces," the developer said, adding the current design would "net around 40 more" public spaces than the current situation.
Council members emphasized the LOI is nonbinding and intended to allow due diligence and public engagement, not final approvals. Staff and the developer discussed financing options including tax increment financing timed to bond repayment and the possibility of opening portions of the parking structure for public use before residential build‑out. Council asked staff to host informational sessions with planning commission and business groups before any formal approvals.
The nonbinding letter of intent passed on a 3–1 roll call (Kelly: yes; Makolski: yes; Sabatini: no; Leaks May: yes). Several downtown business owners who testified during public comment characterized lost private lot capacity as a serious constraint. Rafino Valentine, a long‑time downtown business owner, told council the loss of parking has been "devastating" to his business and urged action.
On parking pilots, the DDA proposed a three‑month valet pilot using Credit Union One’s lot as a remote parking area with shuttle/valet service and asked council to waive or reduce on‑street parking rental fees for the pilot. Council approved the DDA fee reduction (roll call 3–1) and then voted to authorize a parking lease with Credit Union One for three months with up to three one‑year renewal options; that lease authorization passed (vote 3 yes, 1 abstain). The mayor and staff said the pilot is intended to generate data on demand patterns and will be evaluated after the trial period.
Council did not authorize final development approvals for any project; the LOI explicitly preserves further environmental review, design review and public hearings before any approvals or binding commitments.
