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STERLING HEIGHTS — The Sterling Heights City Council is expected to hold a public hearing on the anticipated Lakeside City Center project Dec. 17, but some additional project details and challenges were recently revealed when Sterling Heights Planning Commission members recommended approval of the project’s master development plan.
During the Nov. 7 special meeting, commissioners heard a follow-up presentation from planning, architecture and engineering firm Arcadis about the Lakeside development’s proposed zoning standards and design guidelines. The plans would affect multiple Lakeside Circle addresses that once made up the former Lakeside Mall, located near Schoenherr and Hall roads.
However, during the workshop, one prominent distinction was mentioned this time — the plan that the Planning Commission ended up recommending currently excludes the former Sears location at 14100 Lakeside Circle. That property is owned by Lakeside Circle Holdings LLC, which is affiliated with MKiezi Investments, according to city officials.
During public comment, MKiezi Investments President Mario Kiezi said he was involved in purchasing the property in 2022 for around $10 million. He explained that while he wants to see a Lakeside development plan happen, he said the current proposal demands “a lot of takings.”
“There’s takings of my land. There’s takings of ingress and egress. There’s takings of parking. There’s taking of our rights of future development,” Kiezi said.
He said pressure should be put on the developer to make this “something that can actually happen” with the consent of all parties.
“If you want a billion-dollar development, there are certain things that you need to do in order for that development to proceed,” Kiezi said.
During the meeting, Assistant City Attorney Clark Andrews confirmed that nonconsenting property owners within the district won’t be subject to the Lakeside City Center plan “until such time as they decide that they want to participate.”
Colin Carby, representing Lionheart Capital, said Lakeside is “working with all the stakeholders to try to reach an agreement.”
“Like Mr. Kiezi was saying, they seem to like the site plan,” Carby said. “We’re just trying to iron out the kinks and figure out what makes the most sense for all parties and making sure that we come up with something cohesive. And I think we’re going to get there.”
Besides the Sears issue, the meeting also focused on a few other topics.
Some planning commissioners, like Brandy Wright, wanted to see green rooftops or rooftop restaurants at certain parts of the Lakeside City Center. Planning Commissioner Gerald Rowe questioned whether big-box stores should be allowed in the district.
“I’m not sure that that’s something desirable, rather than mom-and-pop or individual, you know, kinds of stores,” he said.
In response, Erich Dohrer, from Arcadis, said some similar districts are starting to see grocery stores and big-box brands on the ground floor of office or residential buildings, though not necessarily as standalone buildings.
The Planning Commission ended up adding a few amendments to the plan. One amendment would let the Planning Commission consider proposals for projects whose uses are not defined in the agreement. Another amendment adds a sustainability component to the zoning standards, and the final amendment seeks city engineers’ feedback on whether driving lanes within the district could be feasibly narrower than 11 feet. The commission ended up recommending approval of the plan 7-0, with two absences.
Learn more about the proposed Lakeside City Center by visiting lakesidecitycenter.com.
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