Troy Planning Commission grants preliminary approval to Turtle Woods County Park, adds lighting and color conditions

Commissioners added lighting and building-color conditions, heard a resident challenge the park's plant list, canceled two holiday-season meetings and readied the North Troy zoning district for a public hearing.

Troy Thrive · Troy Planning Commission regular meeting, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026 · Council Chambers, Troy City Hall

TROY — The Troy Planning Commission voted 8-0 on Tuesday, Oct. 27, to grant preliminary site plan approval for Turtle Woods County Park, a new Oakland County park on the north side of Square Lake Road between John R and Dequindre roads. Oakland County Commissioner Ann Erickson Gault and Vice Chair Tyler Fox each said it will be the first county park in Troy.

The plan adds a 31-space parking lot, a restroom building and a trailhead at 2473 E. Square Lake Road, giving drivers formal access to the wooded trails. Commissioners attached two conditions: appropriate lighting, reviewed by city staff, and submission of building colors and material samples for administrative review. A memo from Community Development Director R. Brent Savidant says the commission is authorized to approve preliminary site plans for public parks.

The commission also reviewed the North Troy Zoning District text, which consultant Ben Carlisle said was probably the sixth time commissioners had seen it. It took no vote. Carlisle asked to take the draft to a public hearing the next time the commission reviews it. The commission's role is to make a recommendation to City Council, which makes the decision.

Eight of the nine commissioners attended: Chair Marianna Perakis, Vice Chair Tyler Fox, Toby Buechner, Carlton Faison, Michael W. Hutson, Tom Krent, Dave Lambert and John J. Tagle. Lakshmi Malalahalli did not answer the roll call.

Summary of actions

The commission's agenda has no sections labeled consent, unfinished or new business; its headings name the type of item. The categories below are this report's grouping. Nothing was denied, and routine items were voted on one at a time.

Significant events

• Lighting was added over the county's original plan. The county came in with porch lights on the restroom building and no parking lot lights. After Tagle pressed for low walkway fixtures, the county said low-level lighting would be appropriate, and the commission voted 8-0 to require "appropriate" lighting, reviewed by city staff. The motion does not specify a fixture type.
• The county proposes dropping the entry gate. The consultant's report describes an entry gate at the access drive. The county told commissioners its operations team sees no use for one and proposes removing it. The park would be open dawn to dusk.
• A resident challenged the plant list. Russell Reynolds said non-native species would be the first thing visitors see in a nature preserve. Reynolds said Norway spruce is not native, and the plan's plant schedule marks it as native. The commission did not add a landscaping condition.
• Two 2026 meetings came off the calendar. The Nov. 24 and Dec. 22 meetings were canceled. Commissioners noted they had revised their bylaws to make that possible.
• The chair raised housing. Perakis asked to work with City Council in the new year on housing supply and affordability.

Turtle Woods County Park

What was proposed

The project covers two county-owned parcels, which will remain separate so the northern one stays a nature preserve. Savidant's memo says Oakland County acquired both in July 2026. C&G Newspapers reported in January 2025 that Oakland County Parks was awarded $2,175,000 from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund to buy the land from the Troy School District.

Carlisle, of Carlisle Wortman Associates, told commissioners the site has long been used as a nature area. Access today is on foot and limited, Carlisle said, and a house will be removed to make way for the parking lot. The northern parcel holds the existing trail network. Most physical work will be on the southern parcel off Square Lake Road.

The applicant team said the goal is to formalize the trail system with signage, make wet sections more comfortable to walk and add educational elements about the lakeplain prairie at the center of the site. The team called the prairie very rare and said 1% of it is left in the region. The trailhead is designed as a place to relax, with varied trail surfaces, native landscaping and a small water feature; the team suggested healthcare workers might use it on a lunch break. Asked about a teaching pavilion, the team said it did not want to compete with Stage Nature Center, which it said is well set up for field trips, and that Turtle Woods is meant for independent and small-group learning.

The consultant's report counts about 850 trees and 36.88 acres of wetlands. It lists 148 inches of landmark trees and 206 inches of woodland trees for removal, with no replacement required because preservation credits exceed the mitigation. The restroom building has two single-occupancy restrooms, a storage room, a mechanical room and drinking fountains, with stone and wood siding and a metal roof.

Figures and plans that differ

• Southern parcel size: The proposed resolution and Fox's motion say about 1.67 acres, and Savidant's memo gives 1.67. The Carlisle Wortman report says about 87,500 square feet, which is about 2 acres, and Carlisle told commissioners 2 acres.
• Total site: The Carlisle Wortman report says about 71.25 acres. Savidant's memo describes an approximately 70-acre site north of the 1.67 parcel. The plan set's legal description gives 69.51 acres, and its landscape sheet lists a site area of 3,124,550 square feet, about 71.7 acres, then calculates from 3,120,196 square feet.
• Restroom height: The Carlisle Wortman report gives 13.3 feet in its dimensional table and says elsewhere that the tallest roof reaches about 16.8 feet. Elevation Sheet A-501 shows 16 feet, 10 3/16 inches. All are under the 30-foot limit.
• Square Lake crossing: The Carlisle Wortman report says the applicant proposes curb cuts on both sides of E. Square Lake Road and crosswalk striping in the road. At the meeting, when Perakis asked about Gault's crossing request, a speaker the recording does not identify answered that a walkway was not presented, that it is an off-site improvement and that the status of a crosswalk was not known. The site plan sheets' legends list crosswalk signs.
• Native plant rule: Savidant said the city's landscape provisions do not differentiate between native and non-native species. Carlisle said the ordinance does not prohibit non-native species but requires that 50% of those listed be native. The plan set carries a 50% native note.
• Normandy Drive access: The Carlisle Wortman report says the applicant is proposing a pedestrian access point connecting the Normandy Drive sidewalk to a park trail. The county told commissioners the connections to Normandy and Evanswood already exist and will be kept and formalized.

Lighting and security

Carlisle said the zoning ordinance does not require lighting at a park. Julie O'Brien, a project manager with Oakland County Parks, said the county had been told a few years ago not to place parking lot lights so the site would feel residential. The restroom building's architect said recessed down lights in the porch ceiling would provide light for safety, and did not expect light pollution for nearby houses. Zach Crane of Oakland County Parks said the county is also trying not to disrupt bats in the park.

Tagle said it was going to get "pretty dark out there" and proposed bollard fixtures 36 to 42 inches tall that keep light on the walking surface, later suggesting motion sensors as a compromise. Fox, who lives across from Milverton Park, said that city park has no gate and no lights and no "hooligan issue," and described being inclined to trust the county's judgment. One commissioner said "nature doesn't have lights on it" and opposed lighting except perhaps at the entrance. Speaking as a lawyer, the same commissioner objected to a gate, saying it would imply other safety standards in the park. Buechner said snow plows carry their own lights and dumpster pickups happen in daytime.

Lambert asked Crane whether the county, which Crane said runs about 19 parks, was open to low-level lighting that protects both safety and wildlife. Crane said low-profile foot lighting was very appropriate and that, if added, it might be submitted to the city and handled administratively. Lambert then asked to require lighting rather than leave it to the county, and Fox, who had favored leaving it to the county, moved the amendment.

Operations and parking

The county said restrooms run on automatic timers and lock when the park closes. The park will be unstaffed, with staff from Red Oaks County Park monitoring it. The operations team asked for the dumpster, a 3-yard unit that is the smallest available, to handle lunchtime and restroom trash on site.

Carlisle said the zoning ordinance has no parking standard that fits a public park, and that adding spaces would disturb natural features. The county said its planners set a range of 30 to 40 spaces and that 31 fit without removing more trees. When Faison asked how the range was calculated, the county said it would try to find out and report back. Neighbors on Normandy Drive and Evanswood Road will keep their walking connections, and other visitors will be directed to the trailhead. Commissioners raised no objection to the 31 spaces and added no parking condition.

The landscaping debate

Lynn Whipple, the project's landscape architect at PEA Group, said the tree categories Reynolds questioned come from Troy's own ordinance, where a landmark tree is defined largely by size. Cultivars are native plants that stay smaller, Whipple said, citing a red twig dogwood that can reach 12 feet where its cultivar stays about 3 feet, and were picked for safety and maintenance. Whipple said more native perennials will be added at the construction-drawing stage and the team is willing to substitute. A tree such as the mulberry would not be touched if it is outside the area being developed, Whipple said, and the county does its own invasive species removal. The plan's tree list carries the labels Reynolds cited: silver maple, American elm, red cedar, cottonwood and quaking aspen as invasive, white mulberry and white poplar as invasive trees marked to be saved, and two Scotch pines, 19 and 22 inches, as landmark, with smaller ones as woodland. An Oakland County Parks representative said the county's own arborists and native plant experts will also review the plan.

Carlisle said the plan complies with the ordinance, noted that cottonwoods can be native and still count as invasive under it, and said the review Reynolds sought goes beyond the normal level. Carlisle also called the concern very valid, said staff's landscape architects could review the plan, and said the applicant could work with Reynolds. Savidant called it reasonable for a registered landscape architect to replace non-native species with native ones where feasible, even as a condition of approval. Tagle asked for more dialogue on species and said part of any approval should be another look at the landscaping. Another commissioner suggested the county sit down with Reynolds. When Reynolds asked to put a question, Perakis said the commission usually does not allow back-and-forth and suggested connecting with the city after the meeting, maybe with the applicant. Planning staff said, "We agree with the concerns," but that a resident did not need to be brought in to negotiate with the applicant, since the registered landscape architect had heard the concerns and could address them. Another commissioner said the county had clearly heard them and favored letting the plan proceed as is, and no landscaping condition was offered.

Commissioners also looked at screening for neighbors. Whipple said a robust wooded buffer already exists on the west side and is being enhanced. The plan set states a landscape buffer is not required because adjacent properties have the same or similar zoning. Any work in wetlands or the floodplain still requires state and federal approvals, and the Fire Department must review fire access, according to the consultant's report.

North Troy Zoning District

The draft would create the North Troy Mixed-Use District, with North Troy-Core and North Troy-Perimeter sub-districts, to steer redevelopment of older office and commercial properties into a mix of housing, offices, retail and public space. Carlisle said the four changes since Sept. 8 were:

• Lobbies now count toward the active nonresidential use required on at least 50% of ground-floor frontage.
• Windows: references to windows near the front of a building were removed.
• Residential transition setback: a 30-foot minimum front setback applies where a property faces or adjoins residentially zoned or used land outside the district. Carlisle said that in practice this affects the stretch of Northfield Parkway; residential areas on Square Lake fall under consent judgments. The draft text itself does not name Northfield Parkway. The commission could require more based on building size, nearby homes, street conditions and screening. Carlisle's example was a 35-foot town home building at 30 feet and a six-story building at 50 or 60 feet.
• Open space: 10% of sites up to four acres, 12.5% of sites over four and up to 10 acres, and 15% of larger sites, capped at 1.5 acres. The commission could reduce it for physical site constraints if compensating improvements are provided.

Commissioners requested these edits or raised these points:

• Krent asked for a key to the use table's abbreviations; removal of a stray reference to a "node" in the ground-story section, which Carlisle agreed to; plainer wording for a one-sentence paragraph on architectural features; and larger turning radii, citing personal experience of tires scraped on tight curbs. Krent praised a new requirement for plantings along building frontage, which Carlisle said the city's other districts lack.
• Perakis asked that open-space language read "active and passive recreation" instead of only "passive," citing outdoor volleyball and cornhole as examples. No one objected.
• Fox described initial concern that the commission could raise a setback too freely, and said the language was acceptable after staff pointed out the commission already has discretion over setbacks. Fox said a little more definition of the conditions would be welcome.

Buechner offered to move approval. Perakis said no action could be taken before the required public hearing, and that City Council, as Perakis understood it, would hold another hearing of its own.

Roll-call votes

All motions carried. Malalahalli was absent for each. "Yes" votes are listed in the order called.

Public comment

Times are positions in the meeting recording. On Turtle Woods, which was not a public hearing, Perakis opened the floor with a three-minute limit per speaker.

• 4:56 Items not on the agenda: No speakers.
• 26:40 Franco Mancini, who identified as the owner of property to the west of the park and developer of adjacent lots, expressed excitement about the project but asked about after-hours use of the parking lot, lighting at the entrance, screening and trees along neighboring parcels, and policing. Mancini suggested bollard lights, not large overhead fixtures, so police can see into the lot from Square Lake Road. Mancini also said natural wood takes more upkeep than metal or vinyl composite, and hoped the Troy School District would keep using the site.
• 29:36 Ann Erickson Gault, a Diamond Drive resident across the road from the park who is the county commissioner for the district and sits on the Oakland County Parks Commission, said neighbors want the site kept natural. Gault called security a concern but said no one is likely to want overhead lights. Gault said there had been talk of a city and county walkway across Square Lake Road, though it may not be definite, noted hundreds of homes to the south, and suggested something like a HAWK crossing, without a full traffic light.
• 32:06 Russell Reynolds, who cited about 12 years of work with native plants, said page 35 of the packet lists many non-native plants at the entrance, including Norway spruce marked as native, and cultivars that can cross with straight species already on site. Reynolds questioned the tree list on pages 44 to 46, saying silver maple, American elm, red cedar, cottonwood and quaking aspen are native but labeled invasive, Scotch pine is non-native but labeled landmark, and white mulberry and white poplar are being kept. Reynolds urged consulting Six Rivers Land Conservancy, which Reynolds said holds the conservation easement.
• 34:34 Comment on Turtle Woods closed.
• 49:29 Reynolds asked from the audience to put a question. Perakis said the commission does not usually allow back-and-forth and suggested connecting with the city after the meeting.
• 1:24:36 Items on the agenda: No speakers.

Commissioner and staff comments

The Planning Commission has no council members; these are the comments from commissioners and staff under Item 8.

• 1:27:16 Buechner, Hutson, Faison: No comment when called on.
• 1:27:20 Lambert joked that the chair's and vice chair's pre-meetings with staff, which Fox had mentioned earlier, are like Fight Club: not to be talked about.
• 1:27:36 Fox: No comment when called on.
• 1:27:39 Krent announced the next Oakland County Planners Gathering, Nov. 19, 10 to 11 a.m., on commercial and office space market changes five-plus years after the pandemic. Krent also praised the Michigan Association of Planning conference and Savidant's presentation in its lightning-round session.
• 1:28:53 Savidant joked that conference vendors keep calling because Krent hands out Savidant's contact information, and thanked Krent for the kind words. A joke that one vendor was a new planning consultant drew the reply that it was software.
• 1:29:55 Perakis thanked the city for the chance to attend the annual state planning conference for the first time and said nearly every session addressed a housing crisis. Perakis raised concern that Troy is pricing out graduates, empty nesters, seniors and people who work in the city, cited former U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee on citizens becoming neighbors through shared spaces, said the North Troy district moves toward more varied housing and community space, and asked to collaborate with City Council in the new year.
• 1:34:06 A commissioner agreed, saying developers' quoted prices are often not affordable and that Troy has made senior housing available through past programs.
• 1:34:52 A commissioner who attended the conference sessions said high housing costs are statewide and Troy cannot solve them alone.
• 1:35:54 Tagle said one developer who once brought only large two-story colonials is now proposing smaller ranches, and that the market will drive change.
• 1:36:42 Perakis said the commission previously reduced the minimum house size and that added supply can open up housing at lower price points.
• 1:37:30 Faison asked staff whether density is the only model for affordability.
• 1:38:04 Carlisle called housing extremely complex, citing market, demographics and supply, and said some communities have created housing millages.
• 1:38:47 Savidant listed accessory dwelling units, smaller minimum lot sizes, duplexes through quads in single-family districts, faster administrative review and tax increment financing incentives.
• 1:39:48 A commissioner said a focus group for a recent city survey delivered a message that too much building is going on in Troy, and that this sentiment must be weighed against affordability. Perakis then closed the meeting.

What's next

The city's 2026 public notice lists Nov. 10 and Dec. 8 as the commission's other remaining regular meetings after the two cancellations. No date was announced for the North Troy public hearing.

Sources: City of Troy Oct. 27, 2026 meeting recording and agenda packet, including the Carlisle Wortman Associates report dated Oct. 13, 2026 and PEA Group plans dated Sept. 16, 2026; draft minutes of Sept. 22, 2026; city Planning Commission roster and 2026 meeting notice; Oakland County commissioner profile; C&G Newspapers, Jan. 7, 2025.