AUBURN HEIGHTS SCHOOL NEIGHBORHOOD PLANNING STUDY

AUBURN HEIGHTS SCHOOL NEIGHBORHOOD PLANNING STUDY

C iity ff Auburn H ii ll lls City Cuncil Agenda September 19, 2005 Meeting Agenda Item N. 10c. T: Mayr and City Cuncil COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT Frm: Thmas A. Tanghe, Assistant City Manager, and Steven J. Chen, AICP, PCP, City Planner Submitted: September 12, 2005 Subject: Mtin - Accepting the Planning Cmmissin s Study and Recmmendatins fr the Auburn Heights Schl Neighbrhd INTRODUCTION, HISTORY, AND FINDINGS June 16 th - The Planning Cmmissin decides t study the Auburn Heights Schl Neighbrhd. August 4 th - 42 residents attend a neighbrhd visining wrkshp held at the Avndale Schl District Administratin Building. The fllwing tpics were discussed in depth: By-pass rad and dead-end f Waukegan t address schl traffic cncerns. Future develpment f Church s Lumber and Auburn Heights Gateway Free Methdist Church prperties. Cde enfrcement and prblems with rental prperties. August 18 th - The Planning Cmmissin reviews the results f the visining wrkshp and prvides recmmendatins t the City Cuncil. Item #1 N Waukegan By-Pass The By-Pass prpsal was nt favrably received by the neighbrhd and wuld be cstly t cnstruct. Recmmendatin: The Planning Cmmissin recmmends t the City Cuncil that the Waukegan Rad By-Pass nt be pursued unless requested by petitin f the residents f the neighbrhd in the future. Item #2 Redevelpment f Church s Lumber and Gateway Free Methdist Church Prperties Mr. Dug Manix f Campbell-Manix, explained t the Planning Cmmissin that his cmpany was in the prcess f purchasing bth Church s Lumber and Auburn Heights Free Methdist Church with the intent f develping a cndminium prject. Sme f the ideas brught frth fr the redevelpment f these prperties during the planning prcess were the fllwing: Office and retail such as a pharmacy r cffee shp at the nrth end f the site Affrdable husing fr families High-end single family hmes Senir husing with independent care Lw-density residential Redevelpment f Church s Lumber and Free Methdist Church prperties Land Use Cncept Mixed Use / PUD Need mre residents near village center Mixture f ffice, cndminiums, and singlefamily residential hmes Request greenbelt and strm water detentin alng east bundary Cnceptual Mix f Land Uses Cndminiums Recmmendatin: The Planning Cmmissin advises the City Cuncil that the Cmmissin is pen t all the cmments raised thrugh the neighbrhd planning prcess and recmmended t the develper that he direct his team t be very creative and reflect the unique qualities f the surrunding area in any plans that they bring back t the Cmmissin fr cnsideratin as a PUD/mixed use develpment. Office Cnds Open Space Single- Family Hmes

Page 2 Item #3 Plice, DPW, and Cde Enfrcement Issues The fllwing suggestins were made by residents during the neighbrhd planning prcess and actins taken by the City staff: Request t imprve Plice enfrcement f vehicle speed in the area Status: The Directed Patrl Unit has been assigned t spend sme time in the Auburn Rad, S. Squirrel Rad, and Waukegan Rad areas. Request t imprve Plice enfrcement f illegal Clintn River Trail use by dirt bikes, snw mbiles, etc. Status: The request fr mre patrl f the trail has been placed n the Plice Department's Daily Patrl Sheet (all 3 shifts). Park rules signs are als psted - n mtrized vehicles. Suggestin t wrk with residents t find apprpriate lcatins t add street lights alng Margaret, Carline, Bessie, and Henrydale. Status: N actin will be taken unless the neighbrhd petitins t have street lights installed. Request fr Plice t talk with Bys and Girls Club regarding kids leaving the facility withut prper supervisin. Status: The Plice Department has spken t Bys and Girls Club representatives abut the prblem. Ask the DPW nt t dump snw n sidewalks at rad intersectins. Status: Request has been frwarded t the DPW Address vegetatin in right-f-way and vergrwth n sidewalks. Status: DPW addressed varius prblem areas immediately after the visining meeting. Address the fllwing cde enfrcement issues Prblem with single-family hmes being cnverted int multiple-family units. Wrk n flyers and persnal cntact t educate residents where RV s are suppsed t be parked n residential prperty. Number and behavir f pets was a cncern. Request that the City help prvide financial assistance fr fixed incme hmewners t facilitate repairs. Status: The Cmmunity Develpment Department has been wrking n amendments t the City s rdinance, imprving cde enfrcement techniques, and creating educatinal flyers t address many f the cncerns raised by the residents in the neighbrhd. MOTION Mve t accept the Planning Cmmissin s study and recmmendatins fr the Auburn Heights Schl Neighbrhd. I CONCUR: THOMAS A. TANGHE, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER

Excerpt CITY OF AUBURN HILLS PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING August 18, 2005 CALL TO ORDER: Chairpersn Hurt-Mendyka called the meeting t rder at 7:09 p.m. ROLL CALL: Present. Dyle, Hurt-Mendyka, Hitchcck, Kresnak, Luenberger, Pierce, Ouellette, Verbeke Absent. Beidun Als Present. City Planner Chen, TIFA Chair Bennett, Cuncil Member McDnald Guests. 18 LOCATION: City Cuncil Chambers, 1827 N. Squirrel Rad, Auburn Hills, MI 48326 PERSON WISHING TO BE HEARD nne MINUTES Ms. Verbeke mved t apprve the minutes f August 4, 2005. Supprted by Ms. Dyle VOTE: Yes: Dyle, Hitchcck, Hurt-Mendyka, Kresnak, Luenberger, Ouellette, Pierce, Verbeke N: Nne Mtin Carried (8-0) COMMUNICATIONS Nne PLANNING STUDY Auburn Heights Schl Neighbrhd Chairpersn Hurt-Mendyka welcmed thse in attendance. Mr. Chen reviewed a PwerPint presentatin with pssible recmmendatins t the City Cuncil based n input received at the previus meeting. Item #1 N Waukegan By-Pass Mr. Chen explained the input received at the neighbrhd visining wrkshp was nt t pursue the Waukegan By-Pass. Rad t Auburn nt feasible existing develpment in the way need bridge ver river existing private rad in bad shape Recmmend t City Cuncil that Waukegan By-Pass NOT be pursued By-pass wuld be expensive t cnstruct. N mney budgeted fr it Neighbrhd des nt supprt it Based n 2001 and 2005 meetings

Planning Cmmissin August 18, 2005 Page 2 f 3 Mr. Tysn Brwn, f Waukegan Rad, stated he is nt in favr f the by-pass. Chairman Hurt-Mendyka tk a pll f the residents in the audience, eight respnded, nne were in favr f the Waukegan Rad By-Pass. Mr. Kresnak mved t recmmend t City Cuncil that the Waukegan Rad By-Pass nt be pursued unless requested by petitin f the residents f the neighbrhd in the future. Supprted by Ms. Dyle. VOTE: Yes: Dyle, Hitchcck, Hurt-Mendyka, Kresnak, Luenberger, Pierce, Ouellette, Verbeke N: Nne Mtin Carried (8-0) Item #2 Future Land Use f Church s Lumber and Free Methdist Church Prperties Mr. Chen reviewed the discussin frm the wrkshp: Residents requested the City nt allw retail uses r rental prperty (apartments) as part f the redevelpment. It was discussed that a mixed use prject wuld be apprpriate fr the redevelpment f these prperties due t their lcatin adjacent t the Village Center. Office. Church s Lumber is master planned t be redevelped fr ffice buildings. Residential. Discussin n need fr rftps r hmes t draw peple int the Village Center t supprt businesses like bkstres, restaurants, cffee shps, etc. Suggestin that single-family hmes with 50 ft. wide lts wuld be apprpriate fr the suthern part f the Free Methdist Church prperty, which wuld be similar in character t the Auburn Heights Schl Neighbrhd t the west. Further, wner-ccupied residential attached units (e.g., twn hmes, stacked flats, etc.) wuld be acceptable as a transitin between the ffice buildings and single-family hmes. Greenbelt. Residents attending requested that the City wrk with the future develper(s) t prvide a park r greenbelt alng the hill n the east side f the Free Methdist Church t maintain a buffer. Redevelpment f Church s Lumber and Free Methdist Church prperties Land Use Cncept Mixed Use / PUD Need mre residents near village center Mixture f ffice, cndminiums, and singlefamily residential hmes Request greenbelt and strm water detentin alng east bundary N apartments r retail uses as part f the redevelpment Cnceptual Mix f Land Uses Office Cnds Open Space Single- Family Hmes Mr. Dug Manix f Campbell-Manix, explained t the Planning Cmmissin that his cmpany was in the prcess f purchasing bth Church s Lumber and Auburn Heights Free Methdist Church with the intent f develping a cndminium prject.

Planning Cmmissin August 18, 2005 Page 3 f 3 Mr. Manix explained that since the purchase ffer was new, n market studies have been dne. He pledged t wrk with the residents and that suggestins wuld be welcmed. The size and design f the buildings have nt been determined. Apprximate ttal acreage is arund 14 acres. The egress and ingress wuld be ff f Squirrel Rad. Access wuld nt be prpsed t Grey Rad unless requested by the City. Sme f the ideas brught frth fr this prject by the Planning Cmmissin were the fllwing: Office and retail such as a pharmacy r cffee shp at the nrth end f the site Affrdable husing fr families High-end single family hmes Senir husing with independent care Lw-density residential Cndminiums Mr. Tysn Brwn, f Waukegan Rad, stated he is in favr f single family ne stry hmes t mirrr the hmes in the neighbrhd. Bnnie McDnald, f Grey Rad, stated if single family lts are cnstructed the develper shuld cnsider wider lts, with less depth. Mr. Kzlwski, f Squirrel Rad, is cncerned abut the increase in traffic n Squirrel Rad and asked fr a traffic light at Squirrel and Waukegan Rads. Mr. Delacruz, f Carline Rad, liked the idea f cndminiums. He feels that mre shps and activities are needed in the Village Center. Mr. Chen did advise the Planning Cmmissin that Church s Lumber site might have sme cntaminatin which culd make brwnfield funding an ptin. Ms. Dyle mved t advise the City Cuncil that the Planning Cmmissin is pen t all the cmments raised thrugh the neighbrhd planning prcess and recmmended t the develper that he direct his team t be very creative and reflect the unique qualities f the surrunding area in any plans that they bring back t the Cmmissin fr cnsideratin as a PUD/mixed use develpment Supprted by Mr. Ouellette VOTE: Yes: Dyle, Hitchcck, Hurt-Mendyka, Kresnak, Luenberger, Pierce, Ouellette, Verbeke N: Nne Mtin Carried (8-0) Item #3 Update regarding ther issues raised at the wrkshp Plice Issues Enfrcement f illegal use f Clintn River Trail The request fr mre patrl f the Clintn River Trail has been placed n the Plice Department's Daily Patrl Sheet (all 3 shifts). Park rules signs are psted - n mtrized vehicles Bys and Girls Club Address kids leaving facility unsupervised Jeff Walker frm the Plice Department has spken t the Club. Cncern ver vehicle speed in the area Directed Patrl Unit has been assigned t spend sme time in the Auburn, Suth Squirrel, and Waukegan areas. Traffic light at Waukegan and Squirrel An infrmal traffic study was cnducted recently. The data and infrmatin cllected did nt meet the warrants fr a traffic signal. Redevelpment f Church s Lumber site may cause need fr traffic light Other issues Cde Enfrcement Issues Prblems with rental units Prblems with prperty maintenance City has been addressing prblem areas. DPW Lk at pssible lcatins fr street lights If desired, neighbrhd culd be surveyed fr lcatins Snw n sidewalks at intersectins Vegetatin vergrwth n sidewalks The Planning Cmmissin advised thse in attendance that all these items will be presented t the City Cuncil at their meeting n Mnday, September 19, 2005.

CITY OF AUBURN HILLS PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING August 4, 2005 CALL TO ORDER: Chairpersn Hurt-Mendyka called the meeting t rder at 6:10 p.m. ROLL CALL: Present. Dyle, Hurt-Mendyka, Hitchcck, Kresnak, Luenberger, Ouellette, Pierce, Verbeke Absent. Beidun Als Present. City Planner Chen, Deputy Plice Chief Mynsberge, Engineering Cnsultant Stevens, Planning Intern Tanury Cuncil Members McDnald and Newkirk Guests 42 LOCATION: Avndale Administratin Building, 260 S. Squirrel Rad, Auburn Hills MI 48326 Auburn Heights Schl Neighbrhd Visining Wrkshp Mr. Chen and Chairpersn Hurt-Mendyka welcmed thse in attendance t the Auburn Heights Schl Neighbrhd Visining Wrkshp. Mr. Chen intrduced the Planning Cmmissiners and the City Cuncil members wh were present. Mr. Chen explained that the City s neighbrhd planning prcess has been dne quite successfully within six (6) ther neighbrhds in the cmmunity and that the City was addressing planning issues ne neighbrhd at a time. He explained the meeting was a brainstrming sessin designed t identify issues in the neighbrhd. T start discussin, the fllwing tpics were discussed in depth with all thse attending: By-pass rad and dead-end f Waukegan t address schl traffic cncerns riginally prpsed in January 2001. Future develpment f Church s Lumber and Auburn Heights Gateway Free Methdist Church prperties. Cde enfrcement and prblems with rental prperties. Recap f the Discussin West Side f Squirrel Rad The 2001 Waukegan Rad By-Pass Prpsal alng Clintn River Trail was discussed in depth. It was determined that the by-pass had benefits, but it was nt supprted by the majrity f residents present at the meeting wh reside n Waukegan. Residents wh live n the nrth side f Waukegan explained that they did nt want the traffic in their backyards. Other related issues A rad cnnectin frm Avndale High Schl t Auburn Rad wuld nt be feasible due t existing develpment and the expense f building a bridge ver the Clintn River. Frcing traffic nt Suth Bulevard and clsing Waukegan was nt pssible because the City needs the rad cnnectin t Squirrel Rad fr emergency respnse. Need t investigate need fr traffic light at Waukegan and Squirrel intersectin. Request t imprve Plice enfrcement f vehicle speed n Waukegan and illegal Clintn River Trail use by dirt bikes, snw mbiles, etc. Suggestin t wrk with residents t find apprpriate lcatins t add street lights alng Margaret, Carline, Bessie, and Henrydale. Ask DPW nt t dump snw n sidewalks at rad intersectins. DPW des great jb with snw remval in general. Request fr Plice t talk with Bys and Girls Club regarding kids leaving the facility withut prper supervisin.

Planning Cmmissin August 4, 2005 Page 2 f 2 East Side f Squirrel Rad (Church s Lumber and Auburn Heights Gateway Free Methdist Church prperties) Redevelpment f the Church s Lumber and Free Methdist Church prperties was discussed in depth. Pastr Kim Martin explained the Free Methdist Church planned t sell its prperty and relcate. Residents requested the City nt allw retail uses r rental prperty (apartments) as part f the redevelpment. It was discussed that a mixed use prject wuld be apprpriate fr the redevelpment f these prperties due t their lcatin adjacent t the Village Center. Office. Church s Lumber is master planned t be redevelped fr ffice buildings. Residential. Discussin n need fr rftps r hmes t draw peple int the Village Center t supprt service business like bkstres, restaurants, cffee shps, etc. Suggestin that single-family hmes with 50 ft. wide lts wuld be apprpriate fr the suthern part f the Free Methdist Church prperty, which wuld be similar in character t the Auburn Heights Schl Neighbrhd t the west. Further, wner-ccupied residential attached units (e.g., twn hmes, stacked flats, etc.) wuld be acceptable as a transitin between the ffice buildings and single-family hmes. Greenbelt. Residents attending requested that the City wrk with the future develper(s) t prvide a park r greenbelt alng the hill n the east side f the Free Methdist Church t maintain a buffer. The idea f the City buying these prperties fr parkland was discussed, but determined t nt be financially feasible. It was als nted that three (3) municipal parks are lcated within clse prximity f the neighbrhd. Ideas fr Imprving the Village Center Need anchr in the Village Center, like grcery stre r mvie theatre. Add family and chain restaurants. Add cffee shp / mre small shps / bkstre. Add business services / cpying center. Wrk t help existing heavy industrial businesses relcate ut f the Village Center. Request additinal Plice enfrcement f speed limit n Squirrel Rad and Auburn Rad t help imprve pedestrian and bike safety. Cde Enfrcement Need t imprve rental standards and find way t better mnitr minimum husing standards. Prblem with single-family hmes being cnverted int multiple-family units. N cnsensus n limiting number and lcatin f cars and RV s (e.g., campers, trailers, bats, etc.). N cnsensus n limiting parking n the lawn. Wrk n flyers and persnal cntact t educate residents where RV s are suppsed t be parked n residential prperty. Number and behavir f pets was a cncern. Request that the City help prvide financial assistance fr fixed incme hmewners t facilitate repairs. Wrk t maintain architectural cmpatibility with new hmes. Address vegetatin in right-f-way and vergrwth n sidewalks. Chairpersn Hurt-Mendyka and the Planning Cmmissin thanked thse attending the meeting and annunced the next meeting will be in tw weeks at the Auburn Hills City Hall Cuncil Chambers. ANNOUNCEMENT OF NEXT MEETING The next regularly scheduled meeting is August 18, 2005 at 7:00 p.m. ADJOURNMENT There being n bjectins the meeting was adjurned at 8:15 p.m. Steven J. Chen, AICP, PCP City Planner