Farmington Hills City Council tables vote on aging strip mall plan that includes Marvin's

Farmington Hills — A plan to redevelop an aging Farmington Hills strip mall that hosts the Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum vintage arcade has hit a speed bump.

The Farmington Hills City Council has tabled a vote until mid-February on a planned unit development for the Hunter’s Square shopping center at Orchard Lake and 14 Mile roads that would involve demolishing a portion of the strip mall and rezone the area to attract retailers including a Meijer grocery store. Marvin's has operated in a portion of the strip mall for years.

The City Council discussed the PUD and heard feedback during a public hearing last week before tabling a vote to approve the plan, which is scheduled for Feb. 12. Four of the council's six members took issue with aspects of the plan, ranging from the inclusion of a drive-thru to the facade and signs for the proposed Meijer.

Postponing the vote allows the property's owner, RPT Realty, time to discuss the council's issues and return with an adjusted plan.

The planned unit development was approved unanimously by the Farmington Hills Planning Commission in November, despite intense pushback from the public in support of keeping Marvin's at its current location. City officials say as beloved as Marvin's is, they can't dictate occupancy of any commercial property.

"If we don't approve this PUD ... they can still develop this piece of property and get 95 to 99% of what they want anyway, and they're going to, you know, move Marvin's out," said Councilman Randy Bruce. "We can't tell businesses or landowners who they have as tenants in their in their buildings — I don't want to get our city sued."

More than 200,000 square feet of the roughly 330,000 square foot complex are vacant, according to Dave Ortner, who spoke on behalf of RPT Realty last week. The owners would like to demolish the northern portion of the mall, which hosts Marvin's, and construct four major tenant spaces as well as four buildings along Orchard Lake Road, one of which would have a drive-thru.

The proposed redevelopment also would improve pedestrian circulation and landscaping, and provide outdoor seating areas, public art and a future bus shelter. Meijer has already signed a lease, contingent on approval of the PUD, Ortner said.

"We've designed the site to maximize the appeal to potential retailers and activate the site with increased pedestrian access," Ortner said. "We're taking a center that is truly struggling, that has an intense amount of vacancy, with the potential for even further vacancy down the road if something's not done, bringing in a really strong mix of tenants that's going to serve the community in a terrific way."

Much of the redevelopment and construction can take place without the approval of the PUD, but the owners would be more limited in their ability to attract tenants, Ortner said.

"What we're trying to do is provide added flexibility so that we're not hamstrung by some of the limitations and ... so that we can attract really the best possible mix of tenants," Ortner said. "That includes entertainment uses that includes, you know, different dining options."

PUDs allow for flexibility in the regulations for development but must have recognizable benefits that could not be attained under the city's conventional zoning, according to city ordinances. Several council members expressed concern that the PUD for Hunter’s Square did not have enough benefits.

"Other than a little bit of more grass in the front on Orchard Lake (Road), I'm just really struggling here with the benefit," said Councilwoman Valerie Knol.

Knol was also disappointed with renderings of the proposed Meijer supermarket, which would display several different signs on the facade for things like "local," "fresh" and "pharmacy,"

"I need to have a different look there," Knol said. "I think it's going to look cluttered, I just don't feel that with the five signs, it looks like it's a quality, eye-catching, this is a statement when we come into Farmington Hills."

Councilman Jon Aldred also thinks more benefits are needed and had concerns about the proposed drive-thru.

"My concern is that there's still not enough benefit here in terms of the community benefit for this development," Aldred said. "My main sticking point is primarily the drive-thru. I don't feel that that's a great addition — I think it's using up a lot of space in this development. ... I feel like we can do better."

While it is clear the shopping center needs updating, Councilwomab Jackie Boleware worries it will attract fast food tenants, which Farmington Hills does not need more of, she said.

"I would love to see in that area, restaurants that you could sit down and have a meal," Boleware said. "I would like to see some additional thought put into the facade of that particular building (Meijer) along with eliminating the drive-thru aspect."

Farmington Hills Mayor Theresa Rich said she needs to see more details on the materials used in construction, signage and hours of operation of the center, as it will be the first thing many drivers see when entering Farmington Hills.

"When we got the rendering, I was horrified, frankly, because it's your basic Meijer grocery store. It's not the upscale destination Farmington Hills we're looking for, in my eyes," Rich said. "I can't get over the line with you. Based on what's here in front of us. I just can't it's not the upscale work that I would like to see at the start of our city," Rich said.

Before it was tabled, Bruce and Councilman Michael Bridges supported the motion to approve the PUD with requirements like bicycle parking, more pedestrian markings and eliminating the drive-thru component.

"We're not going to get a perfect development in here. Am I excited about another Meijer going in? No, not really. But again, we can't dictate what goes in there," Bruce said. "I'm not thrilled with having 200,000 square feet of empty buildings that are rotting and old, 40 years plus, that look unsightly."

If approved, the project would take roughly 18 months to complete and cost between $50 million and $70 million, Ortner said. Marvin's contract expires in January 2025 and RPT realty has been in touch a number of times, Ortner said.

"They've let us know that they're potentially interested in relocating into a larger space," Ortner said. "We're also pursuing continued conversations with them. We haven't had an opportunity to connect with them. We've reached out on multiple times to try and follow up on some of their comments."

A petition to save Marvin's has gained more than 50,000 signatures since November. The museum was founded over 40 years ago by Marvin Yagoda and features a large collection of vintage coin-operated video games and memorabilia.

hmackay@detroitnews.com