505 S. Lafayette: In Your Face?

Upcoming Problems for Downtown Businesses, Adjacent Neighborhoods and Residents of the Fifth

An 11-story building will be built at 505 S. Lafayette, above,

but will provide no parking for its residents on-site.

505 S. Lafayette is approved for an 11-story residential building that originally had a regulation number of parking spots reduced to 55, then reduced to zero. That is a financial boon (to the tune of approximately $2,000,000) for the developer who need not use up space on parking ... increased rentals, increased tax revenue.

Yes, there is the 5th Street city parking structure across the street which serves that neighborhood AND Baker College next to it and Stagecrafters, and numerous local retail businesses and guests of the Fifth on Washington Avenue, and event traffic.

How much fun will it be in winter especially for any handicapped or elderly tenants? Protests from the handicapped were shrugged off with a "take the elevator" solution (which frequently do not work).

AND, it is believed that those spaces are not currently assigned so if the structure is full up where do those new residence park? My guess (i.e. Opinion) is that this is a premature iteration of the "15 minute city" ... a West Coast social philosophy where cars go extinct.

At 11 stories this building will be at least 121 feet high! By comparison, 350 N. Main just south of 11 mile is 9 stories and looms large. It is the building farthest from the little bungalow in the image on our home page.

Any home facing east on S. West St, down W. Fifth will see the tallest structure in the neighborhood ... something that prominent will be "visually adjacent" from 1/2 mile away. "In your face" comes to mind.

Stephen Pays the Price

Retired investment broker and resident of the Fifth on Washington Avenue in downtown Royal Oak Stephen Lograsso who has disabilities that require ADA consideration was negatively impacted by the Royal Oak Zoning Board of Appeals decision to waive 100% of the required 81 parking spaces for the 54 dwellings in the proposed 11-story building at 505 S. Lafayette and instead have tenants rely on the 5th and Lafayette parking garage instead - which his caregivers rely on for parking. He would also like to know how a disabled individual living at the new 11-story high rise will cross Lafayette in the wintertime to get to the parking. Hear his story here.