Travelodge Redevelopment, 'Do Not Knock' Registry on City Commission Agenda Tonight

At their 7:30 p.m. regular meeting at , Royal Oak officials are expected to discuss a variety of matters, including the following:

Will a 4-Story Hotel Take the Place of the Sagamore Motor Lodge?

The owners of the (also known as the Sagamore Motor Lodge) are requesting commissioners review vacating a portion of Sagamore Boulevard to allow for redevelopment of the motel property, according to a memo written on Aug. 10 by City Manager Don Johnson.

The Travelodge owners are also requesting that easements held by the city within a formerly vacated portion of Sagamore Boulevard and a formerly vacated alley through the middle of their property also be abandoned, according to the memo.

Zaid Elia, of Elia Group, and Arie Lebovitz, of Ari-El Enterprises, told commissioners in July that the real estate developer had plans for the that would serve residents and visiting doctors along with the general public.

“We believe in the community and we believe in the location,” said Lebovitz at a July commision meeting. He told commissioners he has been redeveloping properties for more than 40 years and that he believes a hotel on Woodward in Royal Oak is viable and could compete with hotels in Birmingham.

City Looks at Do Not Knock Registry

To knock or not to knock? That is the question Royal Oak city commissioners will wrestle with tonight during the first reading of an amendment to the peddling ordinance.

The proposed amendment would allow for the creation of a Do Not Knock registry that would be provided to anyone issued a peddler's license. The registry would would also be made available on the city's website.

In February, saying they believed residents are weary of door-to-door salespeople. On Jan. 9, a man reported to police that while going door-to-door soliciting with a valid solicitation permit, .

When someone knocks on your door, it does cause alarm, Goodwin said in February. “Hopefully not to the extent you want to pull a gun on someone.”

Poulton said at the February meeting he believed a “do not knock” list should be given to those applying for solicitation permits so they would know which houses to avoid.

Other agenda items

• Presentation by DTE and discussion regarding power outages
• Public hearing request to create an industrial development district on property owned by Maclean-Fogg at 3200 W. 14 Mile Rd.
• Public hearing request for an industrial facilities tax exemption certificate from Maclean-Fogg for the property at 3200 W. 14 Mile Rd.
• Appeal of crosswalk charges by
• Special redevelopment agreement for Durham Road Site Condominium
• 11 Mile Road crosswalk at South Williams Street and driveway