ROYAL OAK, Mich. – The city of Royal Oak’s Planning Commission got an earful from residents who called in Tuesday night to show their dismay at two key zoning changes the commission is considering.
The first would raise the height of buildings from 30 feet to 56 feet in general and regional business zones, which would include the Woodward corridor. The second would be to scale back minimum parking requirements.
The commission had two other benign zoning changes which passed unanimously, but at the end of the hours-long meeting, it agreed there needs to be more community engagement before it would vote to move the controversial issues forward.
Concern over those two changes had spurred community groups to hold meetings on them. One was last Saturday at the Elks Lodge where things became tense. The mayor and the chair of the Zoning Board of Appeals tried to attend, were told they were not welcome and a scuffle ensued, requiring police to come.
More: Oakland County news