Royal Oak Planning Commission approves mid-rise apartment building

ROYAL OAK — A site plan at 505 S. Lafayette Ave. was approved unanimously by the Planning Commission Dec. 10 despite the majority of public speakers disapproving of the project.

Members of the Planning Commission and others who were present include Brian Cooper, Clyde Esbri, City Commissioner Sharlan Douglas, Director of Planning Joseph Murphy, Assistant City Attorney Josh Marcum, Jim Ellison and Woody Gontina.

Planning Commission Chairperson Gary Quesada and Mayor Michael Fournier were not present. Because Quesada and Fournier were not present, the petitioner had the choice to hold the vote for the project but chose to go forward with a vote.

The plan calls for the construction of a 10-story building with a ground-level bistro/market and 54 upper-level multiple-family dwellings. Akouri Group of Royal Oak LLC is the petitioner and owner of the plan. The building is designed by Krieger Klatt Architects Inc. and is being represented by the law firm Plunkett Cooney.

The apartment building is to be built at 505 S. Lafayette Ave., which is a bustling area of downtown Royal Oak next to the Stagecrafters Baldwin Theatre and Fifth Avenue.

Members of the community spoke of their objections to the project, stating that the parking for the structure would be a problem for both the potential residents and the general public or visitors to downtown Royal Oak.

In multiple public comments Dec. 10, people did not approve of the Zoning Board of Appeals decision back on June 13 to waive the city’s required 81 parking spaces, of which four need to be Americans with Disabilities Act compliant.

At the ZBA meeting June 13, the petitioner requested to waive the required 81 parking spaces on-site because of the configuration of the building, size and dimensions.

“We had our architects report that was presented to the Zoning Board of Appeals that showed we couldn’t comply with the parking requirements,” Dennis Cowan, of Plunkett Cooney, said. “You need so much space for parking, ramps, drive aisles. I mean, that just couldn’t be accommodated within that very narrow piece of property that we have. We are grateful to the ZBA for granting that variance.”

Trish Oliver, a resident of Royal Oak for almost 40 years, spoke on behalf of Protect Royal Oak, a “non-partisan group dedicated to protecting and preserving the integrity, character and beauty of our community and single family residential zoned neighborhoods within the city we love,” according to the website, protectroyaloak.com.

“This project at 505 South Lafayette, which unprecedentedly waived the entire parking requirement, is not accessible or friendly to seniors or the disabled, even in terms of living there or visiting,” Oliver said. “The remedy is for you all on the Planning Commission to send it back to the ZBA for reconsideration per statute ML 125.3604.”

Statute ML 125.3604 states: “The zoning board of appeals may reverse or affirm, wholly or partly, or modify the order, requirement, decision, or determination and may issue or direct the issuance of a permit,” according to legislature.mi.gov.

Parking for this building would be located across the street at the Park Rite Parking building at 514 S. Lafayette Ave., Royal Oak.

Protect Royal Oak has posted on its website its disagreements with the plan. There are also testimonials provided by Royal Oak residents.

Stephen Lograsso, a retired investment broker, has lived at the Fifth on Washington Avenue in downtown Royal Oak for four years.

Lograsso filmed a testimonial for protectroyaloak.com saying that he has disabilities that require ADA considerations. In the video, Lograsso states that he has one dedicated parking spot at the Fifth that accommodates only him.

“I have caretakers who cannot park in my building who therefore must park at the parking garage at Fifth and Lafayette,” Lograsso said. “I am very concerned about the Zoning Board of Appeals decision to waive the 100% of the required 81 parking spaces.”

Esbri, a member of the Planning Commission, asked Marcum if the ZBA “acted in any way that was inappropriate or outside of the bounds of what they should have done” in regard to the waived parking.

“This was reviewed within our office and no, the ZBA’s decision was appropriate for their vote,” Marcum said. “It would not be appropriate for this body to circumvent the ZBA in any way.”

Cowan said that the team working on the building is going to be working hard to keep the peace between this development, parking and the neighborhood.

“We are going to work with our neighbors in the city on every part,” he said. “We are going to work hard to make sure everybody’s needs are met.”

At the public hearing on Dec. 10, there was one resident who approved of the project, Kati Woock, who is the Royal Oak chair at YIMBY Oakland County, a group of volunteer housing advocates, according to yimbyoaklandcounty.org.

Woock said YIMBY Oakland County also spoke at the ZBA meeting June 13.

“I think this is a great project. These people are going to have a place to park, and these people will also be able to walk and cycle all over downtown Royal Oak just like many other people who do not live directly downtown,” she said.

Douglas, a Planning Commission member, said that the addition of this building will be the “center of activity” in that area of downtown.

“I think this is not just suitable, it is an asset,” Douglas said.

Following the approval of the site plan, Cowan said that they will now be drawing up construction plans, which will take approximately six months. The team hopes to have construction begin in the summer of 2025.

Owner Jim Akouri said that he looks forward to supplying that area of downtown with more services.

“I realized this whole area in Lafayette needs to be activated, and now we are putting my vision into plan,” Akouri said. “It (the project) is really not a negative, it’s a positive, not just for our project, but also for surrounding businesses in the area.”