"The former theater, which also was at one time the Mai Kai theater, has been vacant for a number of years. Bill Brown Ford is using the parking lot to store vehicles," he says.

Phoenix Land Development of Farmington Hills, MI has been working on developing the parcel. Now, it has a plan before the council for 58,000-sf of retail space and a multifamily residential complex, which will include 144 two-bedroom ranches and town homes, to be built for about $47.5 million.

There are still some issues to work out, Taormina tells GlobeSt.com. He adds that the council postponed a final review of the plan and is scheduling a subcommittee meeting to discuss various matters.

"There are issues about rezoning the property, as well as review of the site plan and special use approvals," Taormina says. "There are still issues unresolved pertaining to the design. The council wants to make sure there will continue to be a unified appearance between all commercial buildings along Plymouth Road."

More than 1,000 commercial properties line the popular road, including retail malls, strip centers, office complexes and industrial plants. All will be talked about at the committee, before coming back for a final vote, he says. The developers hope to have a decision sometime in July.

Phoenix had originally asked to fill all 6.5 acres of wetlands on the 21-acre site, Taormina says. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality issued a permit that forced the company to leave the wetlands alone in the development, he adds.

Steve Schafer, Scott Drumm and Mark Shmier are the owners of Phoenix.

Instant Insights /

$47-Mil Mixed-Use Project Under Review

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