Livonia City Debates Redevelopment of Former Kmart Site

In Livonia, there’s an ongoing debate that’s lasted nearly a year over the redevelopment plans for a former Kmart site. The discussion centers around a $60 million proposal to build a Meijer grocery store and 102 apartments near the crossroads of 7 Mile and Farmington.

The Livonia City Council, along with some concerned community members, have been questioning the possible impact this development project could have on local traffic and small businesses. This prompted the council to postpone a final decision earlier this month, opting to give the project a more thorough review.

“We’re getting closer”, noted a council member, adding that the project developers still have some “homework” to do. A future council meeting will be entirely dedicated to thorough discussion about the project, it was decided unanimously by the seven-member council, with more in-depth talks expected in the upcoming Aug. 19 Committee on the Whole meeting.

The development plan is moving forward, with focus on details such as the size and placement of the new Meijer sign, the amount of expected truck traffic, and specifics about building materials and landscaping. The Livonia-based developers seem prepared for this, expressing their readiness at a recent council session: “We’ve done a lot of homework on this. We’ve listened… and we want to get it going.”

Last July, the development firm unveiled plans to renovate the 16.5-acre site, which has remained vacant ever since the Kmart store shut down in 2017. The initial proposal — a 75,000 square-foot Meijer and over 200 rental units in four-story buildings — faced backlash from residents worried about traffic and the density and size of the apartment buildings. This led to revisions in the plan, including the reduction of planned apartments to 102 units, the downsizing of apartment buildings to two to three stories, and changes in building exteriors, among other things. The size of the Meijer, however, remains the same.

Despite these amendments, a handful of residents voiced their concerns at a recent council meeting. Some fear that the new apartments will lead to an increase in subsidized housing in the middle-class community. Others worry about traffic congestion. The potential impact on local independently-owned stores like Joe’s Produce due to the addition of another chain grocery store was also a point of concern.

In a city that already hosts another Meijer, a Kroger, a Walmart, a Target, and possibly soon a Whole Foods, some residents question the need for another grocery store. The sheer magnitude of the 7 Mile and Farmington development project was also pointed out as a concern. The overall public sentiment seems split, with some residents in favor, others opposed, and some who could potentially support the project given certain changes.

Many Livonia residents hold an emotional attachment to the former Kmart site, perhaps due to its nostalgic past. This makes the Council’s role more challenging as they must make decisions that are in the best interest of the community’s future.

The Meijer Company’s comment about the project was relatively direct: “We’re still early in the approval process, but we hope to have more information to share in the coming weeks.”