Planning Commission gives thumbs-up to Saal condos proposal

STERLING HEIGHTS — Cranberry Estates’ chances of bearing fruit in Sterling Heights recently grew riper.

During a Sept. 11 meeting, the Sterling Heights Planning Commission heard and voted in favor of a request for a planned unit development for the Cranberry Estates condo project.

The developer wants to build 18 single-family condos on a vacant parcel at 39933 Saal Road, north of Clinton River Road. The land is currently zoned R-70 single-family residential district and is surrounded by residential properties.

The proposed condo development would consist of a mix of single-story ranch and two-story colonial-style homes surrounding a street with a cul-de-sac at the end. The campus would also feature a fenced-in detention pond to drain away stormwater, as well as a triangle-shaped green space with trees on the western part of the property. A neighborhood association would reportedly handle landscaping.

Jim Eppink, representing Vanguard Development Group, presented the proposal during the meeting and compared it to another 29-unit condo development, the Reserve of Sterling Heights, along Ryan Road, which he said was built and sold out within 18 months.

Eppink said the proposed homes would have a starting price in today’s market at around the mid-$500,000 range. He said the ranch homes would be around 1,800 square feet, and the colonial homes would be around 2,200 square feet.

“It’s getting harder and harder to find a new home that is appropriately sized and that’s really maintenance-free,” Eppink said, later adding: “We know there is a high demand in your city. We’re anxious to build on that success and develop this neighborhood.”

A majority of public commenters criticized the project. Resident Jim Bauer, who has previously criticized other recent developments in the city, spoke in favor and said this project fits the purpose of a PUD and is a “project that I think is done well.”

But some residents complained about the proposed homes being built on smaller lots – the proposal’s density is 7 units per acre compared to the R-70 average of 5.1. Other residents had concerns about property values, privacy, traffic and more.

“This is going to benefit the seller of the land and the builder, not the people of Sterling Heights — certainly not the people on Pernell (Drive), where that back of that building is going to be 20 feet from their line,” resident Vince D’Epifanio said.

In the end, the Planning Commission recommended approval to the Sterling Heights City Council 6-1, with Commissioner Geoff Gariepy being the lone dissenter.

Commission Vice Chair Nathan Inks said the proposal was a “very appropriate use of the PUD,” with the developer gaining regulatory flexibility while the city gains the preservation of the western area with trees.

Gariepy called the development overbuilt and “crazy expensive” and said he wants Sterling Heights to be affordable and accessible.

“Do we want our city to be an enclave of wealthy people … and nobody else can break into the place? Or are we just going to leave the less-well-off people to deal with the 50- and 60-year old housing that’s existing already in the city?” Gariepy said.

“Here we have an opportunity for a developer to come in, build some $250,000-$300,000 homes in the same space … have 70-foot-wide lots, and I think that you’d find just as ready of a market. Now it wouldn’t be as profitable, but certainly it could be done.”

Commission Chair Pashko Ujkic said he could see both sides of the argument, but ultimately chose to vote yes. He added that the City Council will have the ultimate say on the proposal during one of its future meetings.

Learn more about the Sterling Heights Planning Commission by visiting sterlingheights.gov and typing “Planning Commission” in the search bar.