Planning Commission recommends rezoning and site plan for two duplexes on Kefir Street

The City of Southfield Planning Commission on April 29 recommended that City Council rezone a 1.01-acre vacant parcel on Kefir Street from IL (light industrial) to RT attached single-family and issued a favorable recommendation for the associated site plan that proposes two ranch-style, modular duplexes.

Lede detail: Planner described the property as 200 feet wide and currently zoned light industrial—the frontage was rezoned for industrial decades earlier during local industrial expansion. The master plan designates moderate-density single-family use; staff said the proposed RT attached zoning is consistent with that designation and that a lot split could also yield two single-family lots by right.

Applicant and design: Applicant Carl Garrett told the commission he intends to occupy one unit with his wife and have his adult daughter occupy the other; he said the units are not intended as rentals. The units are modular construction with a crawlspace foundation, approximately 1,250 square feet per unit (about 2,500 sq ft total), three bedrooms per unit and detached garages. The proposal includes a new sidewalk along the frontage and a tree survey/tree-replacement plan or contribution to a tree trust fund for any removed trees.

Why it matters: Planner and several commissioners said rezoning would more closely align zoning with the community's future land-use map and would improve the transition between existing industrial uses along Telegraph and adjacent residential blocks. Staff noted that failure to rezone would leave an industrial use as a by-right option.

Outcome and next steps: Commissioner Bernudi moved and Commissioner Martin seconded the rezoning recommendation; the Planning Commission voted in favor and forwarded PZR26-00002 and PSP26-00004 to City Council. City Council will hold the final action; the applicant's next step is a council hearing and subsequent permitting and inspections by city departments.

Technical conditions: Staff noted required compliance with the revised site plan submitted April 21, 2026, a tree survey and replacement plan (or tree-trust contribution), and that because the project is fewer than three units it will proceed to council for site-plan approval rather than be approved administratively.

Quotations: Applicant Carl Garrett stated, "We're going to — my wife and I will live in one unit and my adult daughter will live in the other unit. So it's not a rental property." Planner and commissioners urged architectural details to help the modular homes blend with existing ranch homes on the block.

The recommendation now goes to City Council, which will have final authority over rezoning and site-plan approval.