Plymouth City Council To Vote on New 195-Unit Apartment Complex
The Plymouth City Council is expected to vote next month on a proposed 195-unit apartment complex in the southwest part of the city.
The project led by Marco McLane Development and Mithun Cos. would feature a 4-story “S-shaped” style building at the southwest corner of County Roads 101 and 6 by the Original Pancake House. To make room for the apartment complex, a portion of an existing building would be demolished.
At the Oct. 15 Plymouth Planning Commission meeting, the project was met by concerns about the proposed building’s size and traffic impact.
“It’s seven pounds of flour in a five-pound sack. That’s really the headline here,” said Jon Ochetti, a resident who spoke at the meeting. “It’s too much. We can’t handle that.”
The project would demolish most of a 74,000-square-foot building on the site known as Plymouth Plaza, which was built nearly 40 years ago. Tenants impacted by the demolition – Northwest Family Clinics and Bay Creek Dental – would be relocated to a new 14,200-square-foot building proposed on the site.
The Original Pancake House, Dollar Tree and Great Clips would stay at their current location. Their portion of the Plymouth Plaza building, about 22,000 square feet, would remain after demolition and receive significant exterior improvements.
Aerial rendering of project proposed by Marco McLane Development & Mithun Cos.
‘The Area There Right Now Is an Eyesore’
While residents raised concerns, Plymouth Plymouth Commission members acknowledged the existing Plymouth Plaza building is antiquated.
“I think the area there right now is an eyesore and has been for a long time,” said Julie Olson, a member of the Plymouth Planning Commission.
The site is currently zoned as commercial, but developers are requesting the site to be rezoned as a planned unit development, or PUD.
“From a planning commission, my perspective, is what is the benefit to the city for granting this PUD? And here we have a site, a building, that is obsolete,” said Marc Anderson, Plymouth Planning Commission member.
The apartment building would include a mix of units — mostly one-bedroom-plus-den and two-bedroom apartments — but also some studios and three-bedroom units. The project would also include 275 parking stalls, 233 of them would be underground with the remaining being surface parking.
While most of the apartments would rent at market rate, developers are planning to make some of the units affordable.
Rooftop amenities are also proposed including a pool, hot tub and grill space.
According to city planning documents, there are four multifamily buildings near the project site. The apartments were mostly built in the 1970s with one built in 1988.
“We want to find the right sites. We want to find the right opportunities to deliver a product and project that we believe in,” said Tim Marco with Marco McLane Development.
Marco also addressed concerns about the building being too big at the Oct. 15 meeting.
“Our perception is that the magnitude and scale will fit in,” said Marco. “A fourth story is what we deem necessary for the project to move forward.”
The Plymouth Planning Commission recommended approval in a 5-1 vote. Commission member Neha Markanda voted no, expressing concern about traffic. The Plymouth City Council will have the final say on the project with a vote scheduled for Nov. 25.
“We will go from a sleepy little site without much activity, to a fully developed site with much more activity,” said Michael Boo, chair of the Plymouth Planning Commission. “It’s what will happen at some point with this site whether it’s this developer or some other developer.”
Rendering of exterior improvements planning for building that would include Original Pancake House.
