Planners approve changes to Mound-Dobry shopping center

STERLING HEIGHTS — A plan to add up to five new development sites for tenants at The Forum at Gateways Shopping Center recently pleased Sterling Heights Planning Commission members.

During a Jan. 10 meeting, the commission voted unanimously to approve an amendment to the shopping center’s project development plan. The Forum at Gateways, located near the intersection of Mound Road and Dobry Drive, currently features tenants such as Walmart, Dunkin’ and LA Fitness.

City officials said the proposal is not a redevelopment, but it would expand amenities at the site. City Planner Jake Parcell said the plan calls for two new outlots on vacant land near the Mound-Dobry intersection, and those will be near a planned, brand-new pedestrian plaza.

In addition, the plan also establishes three other proposed buildable areas in places where there is currently parking space. Those buildable areas have maximum sizes of 7,000, 6,000 and 4,800 square feet, Parcell said.

City officials said they hope the new plans will help renovate and revitalize underused parts of the development. According to Parcell, the shopping center’s zoning is currently C-4 multi-use, and establishments that could go in that district could include hotels, restaurants, theaters, health clubs, multifamily residential and more.

“We do see, as we have noticed trends in other commercial areas of the city, we have a wealth of parking, so we’re working with the applicant to find more areas to help achieve maximum developmental space here,” Parcell explained.

The developer associated with The Forum at Gateways, Franklin Gatlin III, said additions like the pedestrian plaza and new buildings could bring more action to the shopping center, “break up that sea of asphalt,” and help make the site the best it can be.

“So when you look at the plaza, what we’re really trying to create here is a pretty entrance to your city, to the gateway,” he said.

Gatlin said that, upon getting the proposal’s approval, he would go through his contact list of restaurants and other possible tenants for the area, adding that “we’ll be marketing it very heavy to get the best quality tenants that we can come up with.”

He added that once he confirms who will go in his first new building — whether it’s a freestanding restaurant or a combination of tenants – he hopes that new development can begin “as soon as possible.”

“Realistically, I would hope that we could have something under construction and almost finished by this time next year, and tenants moving in,” he said.

Commissioner Brandy Wright suggested a Trader Joe’s. Commissioner Paul Jaboro also chimed in with his impressions of the plan.

“When I first looked at it, I was like, ‘Wait a minute, they could do more than this,’” Jaboro said. “But the more I looked at it, I felt like it was very strategically done. So yes, I do like it.”

According to Parcell, the Planning Commission’s vote to approve means that the development plan has been effectively changed without needing a subsequent City Council vote.

Learn more about the Sterling Heights Planning Commission by visiting sterlingheights.gov and typing “Planning Commission” in the search bar, or call (586) 446-2489.