Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Commercial Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council clears Costco redevelopment and fuel center for former Galleria site
Summary
After a public hearing with mixed testimony, the council approved a conditional rezoning, special‑use permit for a fuel station and the site plan for a new Costco warehouse and 20‑pump fuel facility on the former Galleria office campus.
The Southfield City Council voted to allow Costco Wholesale to redevelop the former Galleria office center into a new approximately 166,000‑square‑foot warehouse and a member‑only fuel facility with 20 pumps (40 dispensers). The project, proposed for roughly 21.5 acres of the larger site, includes an enlarged stormwater detention pond, retained tree stands and landscaping.
Costco real‑estate manager Larry Jurczyk described the site layout, traffic access points and a larger detention pond with an outflow restrictor aimed at reducing downstream impacts. He said the company will preserve several mature oak and hickory stands and design the fueling lanes with queueing for about 50 vehicles to avoid roadway backups.
At the public hearing, residents and local business owners were split. Some neighbors and a local business coalition urged the council to prioritize mixed‑use, walkable redevelopment consistent with the city’s strategic plan; others, including nearby shoppers, supported demolition of vacant office buildings and welcomed the prospect of retail, jobs and activity at the site. “This would be closer to my home…This would eliminate those abandoned buildings that are already there,” one resident said in favor of the project.
Council approved the conditional rezoning (PCZR25‑0004), the special land use for the fuel center (PSLU25‑0009) and the site plan (PSP25‑0008) with specific waivers and conditions. Council members emphasized that reuse of a large, underutilized office site could catalyze further private investment in the corridor while planning staff said a traffic impact study and landscape/screening conditions will be enforced as part of the site‑plan approval.
Costco officials said the store will be regionally oriented and noted that members, not the general public, use Costco’s fuel islands. The company also presented plans for protected loading docks and substantial perimeter landscaping.
Next steps: The developer will proceed with engineering, BZA waiver processes and building permits as conditioned by council action. City staff said they continue to market adjacent pad sites and are already in talks with commercial and restaurant prospects that anticipate new customer traffic from a regional warehouse tenant.
