Planning commission backs 45‑unit downtown PUD, cites affordability despite parking concerns

The Royal Oak Planning Commission on Tuesday voted to recommend final approval to rezone a parcel next to City Hall to a Planned Unit Development for a four‑story, 45‑unit apartment building that the developer says will be fully income‑restricted.

Joseph Murphy, the city’s director of planning, told the commission the amended plan reduces a previously approved six‑story proposal and offers community benefits tied to environmental sustainability, labor and attainable housing. Murphy said all units would be limited to households earning no more than 120 percent of area median income and that at least 31 units will be reserved for households at or below 60 percent AMI.

Developer Steven Dronum of Lockwood Companies said engineering constraints — including a high water table that eliminated an underground parking level — prompted the scaled‑down design. Dronum said the project would provide 45 units and 39 parking spaces and that the team has secured financing using low‑income housing tax credits from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority.

Residents who live near the site urged the commission to slow the project, citing parking impacts and safety. Shane Zimmer said overflow parking from the new use would spill onto Cherry Avenue and “I can't imagine losing a neighbor … because an ambulance wasn't able to get to where they needed to be.” Mike McLaughlin, who lives immediately east of the site, warned that the proposed landscaping buffer and setback waivers would leave neighbors looking at a tall wall and increase traffic on local streets.

Supporters framed the project as a needed source of affordable homes downtown. Alex Morford, a Royal Oak resident and volunteer with YIMBY Oakland County, said the city had wired parking policy to an older era and that downtown parking garages, transit and changing travel patterns mean fewer homes require one‑to‑one parking. Kyle Hines, Oakland County housing trust fund manager, told the commission the county has allocated $5,000,000 in ARPA and general funds to the project to help make it happen.

Commissioners debated the tradeoffs at length, with some members urging caution about the low parking ratio while others said the benefits — walkable affordable units for residents who work locally — outweigh those costs. Commissioner Gantina moved to recommend final PUD approval as submitted with staff’s listed contingencies, including lighting and community‑benefit language; the motion carried on a voice vote.

The planning commission’s recommendation goes next to the Royal Oak City Commission, which must formally amend the zoning ordinance before the rezoning takes effect. The staff report and the petitioner’s community‑benefit commitments were placed on the record for review by the city commission.