The City of Troy Planning Commission on June 10 approved a preliminary site plan for the Maple Lane Apartments, a proposed 234‑unit, four‑story multifamily development at 1485 Maple Way, subject to conditions addressing lighting, traffic calming and pedestrian access. The motion was moved by Mister Fox and seconded by Mister Krent; the measure passed 6–3.

The applicant described the project as a 4‑story, 234‑unit building with an underground parking garage and surface parking on all four sides. The developer proposed 420 immediate parking spaces and agreed to land‑bank 40 additional spaces (the city ordinance number cited was 460 spaces required). The design includes two courtyards, a pool and pool house, a dog run and substantial perimeter landscaping; the team said it had received Sustainable Design Committee approval for parking in the front yard given the site context.

Linda Nelson, the project owner, framed the proposal as a long‑term investment. “This is a generational project. This is not a, build and flip, this is a build and hold,” Nelson said, describing the site as underused and the project as a family development for future generations.

Ray Phillips of Krieger Clatt Architects and engineer Jim Butler (PA Group) presented architectural elevations, underground detention plans and a layout that places amenity spaces and private garages along the railroad side to buffer visual and noise impacts. The applicant said underground stormwater detention would replace the site’s existing above‑grade basin and that the design would meet recently adopted Oakland County stormwater standards the city has adopted.

Traffic and pedestrian access were the principal topics of commissioner questions. Planning staff and OHM Advisors’ Steven Dearing described the challenges of site access: the property does not front a public right of way, and vehicular access will be distributed among three entries off Maple Road, including a primary connection through the Club Studio/fitness parking lot. Dearing said the traffic study concluded that overall traffic impacts on the municipal road network would not be significant because traffic would distribute across the three access points, but he recommended additional pedestrian connections and local calming measures to improve safety.

“We would still strongly encourage them to see if they can get access for a pedestrian crossing to get to the sidewalk that runs the east side of Doyle,” Dearing said, noting that a median refuge where Doyle intersects Maple would provide a safer crossing location if the private‑drive owner would permit it.

Commissioners proposed and the motion included several site‑specific conditions: reduce lighting at property lines to no more than one foot‑candle, install tabletop traffic calming (speed‑table) features in the eastern parking area connecting Maple Road to the site, and implement measures to narrow and visually break the roughly 40‑foot drive aisle used by vehicles as a through route so that drivers clearly perceive a parking‑lot environment rather than a through street. The motion also directed the applicant to add a marked pedestrian route from the parking/amenity area to the existing sidewalk near the pickleball courts and to coordinate a clear pedestrian route to Maple Road.

Mister Fox moved the resolution and Mister Krent seconded. Voting was recorded as: Mister Krent, yes; Mister Lambert, yes; Miss Malala Holly, no; Miss Perrakis, no; Mister Tagle, yes; Mister Beakner, no; Mister Faison, yes; Mister Fox, yes; Mister Hudson, yes. The motion passed 6–3.

Planning staff said they will work with the applicant to finalize signal‑calming, island and sidewalk details administratively and will verify the requested reductions in light spill and other final engineering details prior to final plan approval. The applicant committed to continuing coordination with staff and OHM, and to providing unit floor plans and final stormwater calculations as part of the next submittal.

The preliminary approval does not authorize construction. The applicant must return with final engineering, finalized pedestrian and traffic‑calming details, and required permits for staff review.