DMC to Present Concept for $50M Royal Oak Facility Tonight

The Detroit Medical Center (DMC) will make a special presentation to the Royal Oak City Commission in a special meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the .

For many commissioners it will be their first chance to ask DMC representatives about the proposal to build a $50 million outpatient facility at the vacant 4.15-acre parcel at Interstate 696 and Woodward, which is owned by the Royal Oak Downtown Development Authority (DDA).

The DDA took the first steps for entering the DMC’s proposal to build the 97,000 square-foot development into the city's bureaucracy in mid-February when members unanimously passed three resolutions that authorized fact-finding, having the land appraised and entering negotiations.

“There is nothing the City Commission needs to approve or vote on (tonight),” DDA member Jay Dunstan said. “This is just an opportunity for commissioners to ask questions so everyone can be on the same page.”

School board members, planning commissioners and members of the have also been invited, Dunstan said. There will also be an opportunity for public comment, but it won’t be the only chance for residents to make their opinions heard.

At its March 29 meeting, the DDA expects to have an offer on the table for the property. If all goes well, the proposal will go before the Planning Commission, and then on to the City Commission for full approval — all opportunities for public comment, Dunstan said.

Dunstan expects the big concerns to be how the development integrates with surrounding neighborhoods and how the site will deal with traffic at that already busy intersection. The proposal does not require any zoning variances at this time.

About the plan

What interests the DMC most about the Royal Oak site is “location, location, location,” Dr. Herman Gray, president of Children’s Hospital of Michigan, said in a multi-person presentation to the DDA in February.

The DMC plan, which also includes an emergency room, would employ about 155 full-time workers and add an estimated $1 million a year to the tax rolls, according to Lori Mouton, vice president of marketing for DMC Children's Hospital of Michigan.

"Our patients have told us they want outpatient care close to home," Mouton said. "The property in Royal Oak is our first choice. It has a nice central location with easy access to major freeways."

About two-thirds of the proposed outpatient facility would be used for pediatric specialty services. 

If you go

Where: Friends’ Auditorium at the
When: 6 p.m. Tuesday

Correction: The proposed development is 97,000 square-foot.