Developer outlines Village of Troy South PUD with 167 townhomes; commissioners press for retail, connectivity and amenities

Developer Robertson Homes and city planning staff presented a concept Planned Unit Development (PUD 22, "Village of Troy South") at the May 12 Troy Planning Commission meeting. The applicant said the roughly 11‑acre site at 4755 Rochester Road would be the Phase 2 extension of the existing Village of Troy and proposed 167 for‑sale townhomes with pedestrian and vehicular connections to Phase 1.

Tim Loughran, vice president of land acquisition for Robertson Homes, said the site is designated IB (integrated industrial and business) but the developer is proposing a PUD amendment because the for‑sale townhouse product does not fit the district’s principal‑use assumptions for residential rentals. He described a conceptual layout with two vehicular connections, a central pedestrian connection tying into the existing fountain/green at Village of Troy, and roughly 40% open space. Loughran said some units would be three‑story townhomes of about 2,200 square feet with an optional first‑floor bedroom. He also confirmed the project includes a planned brownfield cleanup and said the site will require significant remediation prior to redevelopment.

Commissioners pressed the applicant on multiple design and public‑realm issues. Commissioner Fox and others asked whether the Rochester Road frontage could include mixed‑use or commercial uses instead of detention ponds to better serve future residents; Loughran said mid‑block retail is challenging but not off the table and that the team has discussed restaurant pads as a horizontal mixed‑use option. Commissioners also raised pedestrian‑circulation concerns: several asked for additional sidewalk connections between phases, warned that some sidewalks appear to "dead end," and urged clear pedestrian routes to amenities. The applicant said grades and existing site constraints will limit some connections but agreed to explore additional links and to review comments from the OHM traffic memo.

On infrastructure, Loughran said a traffic study concluded the proposed PUD would generate fewer vehicle trips than what could be developed under existing zoning and that a northbound right‑turn taper onto Rochester Road will be needed. He acknowledged snow removal, emergency‑vehicle access and large‑truck turning were items the design team would refine in future iterations. Commissioners asked the applicant to provide clearer amenity programming (play areas, pavilions, sports courts) and to account for how adding 167 units will affect shared amenities used by Phase 1 residents.

No formal action was taken; commissioners provided feedback and requested that the applicant return with revised plans addressing connectivity, amenity programming, green‑space accounting, and service/turning radii.