Planning commission recommends City Council approve 10‑unit cluster plan for former Kendallwood Swim Club

The Farmington Hills Planning Commission on April 16 recommended City Council approve a 10‑unit single‑family cluster development proposed for the former Kendallwood Swim Club site, voting 6–0.

Mike Hourback of Carlile Wartman Associates, the city’s planning consultant, told commissioners the site previously cleared a cluster‑development qualification in 2019 but paperwork (a recorded development agreement) was never finalized, requiring the applicants to renew review. The proposal would place 10 dwellings on the site with about 42 percent preserved as unprogrammed open space, Hourback said. The commission’s recommendation includes conditions that must be satisfied before council review.

Why it matters: The cluster option allows smaller building lots in exchange for preserved open space; neighbors and commissioners focused on how preserved buffers between the new lots and existing homes would be owned and maintained to protect a stream and wildlife habitat.

During review commissioners questioned flood‑zone labels shown on maps, setback flexibility under the cluster ordinance, and whether preserved buffer strips should be recorded as common‑area and administered by a homeowners association. Commissioner Manty asked whether natural‑area preservation was a reason the cluster option had been approved; consultant Hourback cited the site’s major‑road frontage, irregular parcel shape and presence of floodplain or poor soils as part of the original justification.

Jared Prather, a project engineer with Boss Engineering representing the applicant, described recent plan updates and said the proposed southern buffer would remain intact and be supplemented with rapidly growing saplings to fill gaps. Prather said roughly 14 trees on the site were identified for removal and replacement plantings are proposed; he added the applicant’s updated site plan (submitted the prior week) avoids placing the buildable areas inside the 100‑year floodplain and that the road alignment helps utilities access the site.

Neighbors speaking during public comment urged stronger, long‑term protections for the vegetated buffer. “We have great horned owls, mink and blue heron in that creek,” said Lauren Herman, a nearby homeowner, urging that the buffer be made “as big as possible and protected long term.” Shirley Horn, another neighbor, said the proposed homes appeared tall and close together and feared the homes would change the neighborhood character and reduce property values.

The commission’s motion (stated in the record) recommended City Council approve the cluster site plan with conditions: prior to council review the applicants must submit an updated tree survey, provide typical dwelling elevations and floor plans and a standard building materials palette, and address all items in the consultant, city engineer and fire marshal review letters to the satisfaction of staff. The motion also specified that the buffer area behind the lots be designated as common area and included in the master deed to be maintained by the homeowners association.

The motion passed by voice vote, 6–0. The planning commission’s recommendation is advisory; City Council will hold a second public hearing and make the final decision.