Melinda Hill, 1481 Mill Race, Rochester Hills MI 48306 Ms. Hill stated |
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that she lived in the complete opposite end of the community, however, |
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she still had some concerns. The property was zoned SP, and the current |
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Ordinance showed it with a Flex One Business overlay. The old Master |
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Land Use Plan (MLUP) showed it planned for senior housing and the |
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current MLUP showed it planned for Business Flex One for the whole |
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corner. She said they all understood the uses that were permitted in SP. |
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They did not necessarily or readily fit into other districts, but they had to |
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be given special consideration. Until the recent update to the Zoning |
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Ordinance, congregate care facilities required a Conditional Land Use |
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Approval from the City Council. Now they were a permitted use in the SP |
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district, and they no longer required a Conditional Use Approval. It was |
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the first time the Planning Commission was making the sole approval for |
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this type of facility in an SP district. Oakmont was more than assisted |
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living; it also included a three-story senior living complex, which was not |
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specifically defined in the Ordinance except under RM-1, Multiple Family |
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Apartment Dwellings, which carried a different set of standards. There |
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used to exist criteria for a Conditional Land Use and there was quite a |
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description of things that had to be met for senior and assisted living. |
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Under 138-4.423, Nursing Homes, Convalescent Homes and Assisted |
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Living Facilities, there was no mention of senior facilities. They were not |
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very clear in the new Zoning Ordinance about the description of those. |
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She had an issue with exactly what the three-story portion of the |
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development was going to be. There were many senior complexes being |
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developed across the country that had the same facilities that were being |
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included in the three-story complex. They had a lot of amenities for 60 |
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years and older, yet they were discussing that people would not move into |
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the proposed building until they were 90 years old. The City had |
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eliminated the controls in the Ordinance, and she did not think it was as |
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black and white as some might think. She thought there needed to be a |
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much bigger discussion about it, because the Ordinance did not cover it |
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as well as it used to. They lost the controls as far as determining whether |
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it was harmonious or compatible with the surrounding community. If it |
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met the requirements of the Zoning Ordinance, the Planning |
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Commission was obligated to approve it. She questioned where the |
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discretionary control went. It seemed to be gone, and she felt that was |
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very unfortunate. She thought they needed to look at that further. She |
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