MDOT is updating its Strategic Highway Safety Plan and looking for public input on how to make our roads safer for everyone. This is a chance to share your perspective on where safety improvements are most needed.
The survey design is not great but there are comment boxes.
Ultimately, this is a win-win. We get much-needed attainable housing for our local workforce and a stronger budget. We're growing the tax base now instead of waiting for a market-rate project that may never come. And we're welcoming 56+ new Ferndalians who will make our city better.
Even with the PILOT, city revenue will increase by ~$32,500 in year one. That boost alone is enough to service about $374k in bonds for capital projects if the city wanted to spend it that way. It creates new funding capacity that current property owners won't have to cover themselves.
Totally get your frustration. PILOTs can feel like leaving money on the table. But here the alternative isn't a full-tax building. High costs and the local rental market make this project impossible without the incentive. It's a choice between a new building or keeping an empty lot paying far less.
I'm glad Laura voted "yes" on the 1200 W Nine Mile PILOT. It'll be interesting to see how her calculations change now that she's not voting from the minority. But union labor requirements are illegal (MCL 408.875/877), so I cannot respect her colleagues' ask on that front.
If Kelley/Sabatini want responsible contracting rules other than union requirements, the right way is to adopt them prospectively so future projects know the rules upfront. Changing expectations this late creates unpredictability that scares off developers. I hope that's not their real goal.
Asking about labor practices is fair. But introducing a new union labor requirement at the end of a four-year process is not. Moreover, such a requirement is not legal under Michigan law (see MCL 408.875/877).
So at the end Councilmember Johnson amended his motion specifically to create an administrative policy to address Kelley's concern. This was another opportunity for Kelley to speak up, but she didn't take it.
Kelley raised a concern about guidelines for allowing two 80% AMI units to flex upward if the developer struggles to fill them. The city manager proposed a solution, and Kelley had every opportunity to further shape it if it wasn't to her liking, but she chose not to.
The core affordability promise remains intact. Ferndale needs more housing for people at the 80-120% AMI level. Calling the entire project "not truly attainable" after minor tweaking that she initiated feels like moving the goalposts, fishing for a reason to vote against it.
Kelley asked for one more 80% AMI unit, which she got. To make the math work, the incentives committee and the developer agreed to shift two other units from 100% to 120% AMI. Those are still workforce levels, fully consistent with the framework the incentives committee approved.
Councilmember Rolanda Kelley shared her reasons for voting "no" on the 1200 W Nine Mile PILOT. You can read them yourself to judge their credibility, but I have some thoughts...(🧵)
Eddie Sabatini wanted to delay until a Responsible Development Ordinance could be adopted - which would be an egregious display of bad faith towards a developer who has already spent four years working with us in good faith. Contemplate your ordinance after this approval.
Rolanda Kelley seemed to have been miffed by how the City and developer agreed to give her the one extra 80% AMI unit she asked for, which was by shifting two more 100% AMI units to 120% AMI.
Ferndale City Council tonight voted to approve the PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) for 1200 W Nine Mile Rd. This was a slam dunk for housing in Ferndale, but two councilmembers couldn't overcome their scruples to vote for it.
✅ Johnson
✅ Mikulski
❌ Kelley
❌ Sabatini
✅ Leaks-May
Ferndale City Council tonight unanimously voted to approve the rezoning.
Planning Commission voted to recommend the rezoning and to approve the site plan.
City Council decided to send this back to the Incentives Committee because Rolanda Kelley wanted to shift one 100% AMI unit to an 80% AMI unit. The way this will likely be accomplished is by dropping about half the community benefits. We'll probably find out in January.
There are already parking spaces in front of this parcel. They are outside of the bike lane and I'm guessing that won't change, but maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised.
The annual payment will be the greater of:
- 3% of the Annual Shelter Rents collected from the project.
- the ad valorem tax on the property for the tax year preceding the date on which construction begins.
The agreement is for 15 years, which the city can renew up to two more times.
The 100% workforce housing in this agreement sets three income tiers. Of the 56 units, 16 are restricted to 80% of area median income (AMI), 21 to 100% AMI, and 19 to 120% AMI.
Further CBA items: 3 extra barrier-free units beyond code minimums, $30k for a public art mural, and guaranteed annual, escalating payments dedicated to public safety resources.
A Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) secures some other investments from the developer: up to $160k for W Nine Mile road/ROW improvements and a $30k payment earmarked for improvements at nearby Geary Park.
The project won Planning Commission approval in 2022, but construction stalled because the plan was dependent upon a grant from the Michigan State Housing and Development Authority that failed to materialize. This PILOT mostly closes the funding gap.
This development is very close to the Nine Mile/Pinecrest bus stops, but it also will provide 58 parking spaces. The parcel is virtually the same size as the four parcels directly behind it on Withington St., each of which contains one single-family home.
Architectural rendering of the proposed Nine West building viewed from the southeast. The building is a four-story, rectilinear structure with a modern, mixed-material facade. The topmost (fourth) floor is clad entirely in dark, vertical metal panel siding (black or dark charcoal), capped by a parapet displaying the project name "NINE WEST" in metallic block letters. The lower three floors feature a dominant red-brown masonry veneer (brick). Vertical recessed bays extending through these lower floors are highlighted with a lighter, yellowish-tan siding material. The ground floor corner facing the viewer features extensive storefront-style clear glazing, indicating retail or communal/live-work space. The main residential floors are vertically articulated by rows of windows, with several units featuring small, prefabricated wall-hung metal balconies. In the foreground, a concrete sidewalk is visible along the street, separated from the asphalt road by a narrow strip of landscaping. A person on a bicycle and a few pedestrians are moving along the sidewalk, emphasizing the building's street-level activation.
Tomorrow: Ferndale City Council will consider a PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) for 1200 W Nine Mile Rd. This agreement will trade new property tax revenue to secure 100% attainable workforce housing (56 units) for up to 45 years. It should be a nice win for housing density and affordability.
Fun fact: The term "paper sons" refers to Chinese immigrants who came to the US from the 1900s to the 1940s using forged or purchased papers, claiming blood relationship to a US citizen of Chinese descent, to circumvent the Chinese Exclusion Act.
If this proposal sounds familiar, that's because it is! Iron Ridge first proposed a carryout spot for this parcel in April 2023, but those approvals have expired. Now they're back with a slightly different plan.
Because the corner parcel is so small, Iron Ridge and the City have negotiated a Conditional Rezoning Agreement to legally tie the restaurant to Iron Ridge's adjacent parcel for all customer parking.
Iron Ridge Holdings seeks to rezone the southwest corner of 10 Mile Rd. and Bermuda St. from Industrial to Mixed-Use (MXD-1) so they can open a "dim sum smokehouse" called Paper Sons. Planning Commission will hold the public hearing on Dec. 17.
www.papersonsbbq.com
