ROYAL OAK, Mich. – City leaders in Royal Oak voted unanimously Monday night to approve a master plan that included changes to residential areas, including permitting more multi-dwelling housing units.
The group Protect Royal Oak campaigned hard against it, citing concerns that the plan would result in the disappearance of single-family homes from neighborhoods.
Commissioner Brandon Kolo says there’s been a lot of misinformation about the master plan.
Kolo says Royal Oak hasn’t had an update to its master plan in decades.
He says the changes they voted through will meet the needs of a growing population without infringing on neighborhoods.
“We’re looking at old, tired commercial buildings, we’re looking at Woodward, which needed a facelift, old industrial moved out of the neighborhood, we’re looking at growth where it belongs and not in the neighborhoods,” said Kolo.
But residents have their reservations.
The master plan language used a new zoning term, neighborhood residential, instead of single-family residential.
The commission says neighborhood residential “encompasses what is traditionally called single-family residential but also more accurately reflects uses that currently exist,” adding duplexes as an example.
“That’s the beauty of the master plan; it’s just aspirational. There is no specific plan for what a unit will be or where it will be; markets will decide that,” said Kolo.
That’s exactly the problem for longtime Royal Oak resident and architect Michael Thompson. He doesn’t want developers to make the decisions; he believes homeowners should have more of a say.
He walked to an apartment near his home that he says was built after homeowners were bought out.
“With special approvals, the houses were torn down, we got involved, at least we got them to go from four stories to three,” said Thompson.
He understands the city is aiming to create more affordable housing but wonders if its achievable and at what cost, as many of the new places popping up are considered luxury.
Thompson worries the city’s plan, which has yet to undergo the zoning process under the master plan, may create traffic and parking issues for existing residents while changing the feel of the neighborhood.
“We’re looking at what works now and how to move into the future in the best way possible, if we want to continue to attract talent, if we want young families to move in, we want seniors to be able to age in place, continue to stay and downsize in their community, we need more diverse housing stock,” said Commissioner Kolo who adds residents will be invited to weigh in when zoning decisions are made.
For example, the commission says the community has expressed interest in ADUs, or accessory dwelling units, for multi-generational families and elder care.
With the neighborhood residential designation, these types of homes could be allowed.
Commissioner Kolo says it’ll likely be a year before any specific ordinance is set in stone after months of public comment/input.
