Bloomfield Hills weighs zoning changes Oct. 13

Bloomfield Hills residents can weigh in on proposed changes to the city's commercial zoning rules at a public hearing Tuesday, Oct. 13, at 4 p.m.

The Bloomfield Hills Planning Commission will take up proposed zoning ordinance amendments resulting from a Land Use Study, according to the city's event calendar.

The commission discussed an earlier draft on July 14 and requested further revisions, according to its approved meeting minutes.

Earlier proposals

The July draft included six new or revised definitions, covering terms such as “health and wellness facility,” “personal service establishment” and “limited retail establishment.” During discussion, commissioners agreed to eliminate the separate limited retail definition and consolidate it with the retail establishment definition.

Other changes discussed in July would have added permitted uses in the O-1 and O-2 office districts, including medical offices, personal service establishments and health and wellness facilities capped at 2,000 square feet.

Planning consultant Jill Bahm of Giffels Webster said the proposed cap was intended to allow small studios for yoga, Pilates and day spas while keeping out large-format gyms. Commissioners questioned the cap, and no agreement was reached on a revised size limit.

The July draft also proposed to shift parking calculations from gross floor area to usable floor area, replace a wall requirement between adjacent commercial and office properties with a landscape buffer and eliminate loading-space requirements for smaller uses.

Why it matters

Corbin Yaldoo identified himself at the July hearing as the owner of the former PNC Bank building and Hills Fine Wine & Spirits. He told commissioners the bank building had sat vacant for nearly seven years. He said he had turned away prospective tenants, including yoga studios and dental offices, because current zoning would not allow them.

Yaldoo questioned the proposed size cap, while commissioners raised concerns about parking requirements and preserving the City Center’s primarily office character, according to the July minutes.