"One of the things we did is we removed automotive focus uses, like car washes and gas stations and drive-thru restaurants, simply because it had been proven that it wasn't a balance that we could really meet," Brent Savidant, Troy's community development director, told C&G Newspapers in May 2026.
The balance he means is the one Troy has tried to strike since 2013 at its "neighborhood nodes." These are clusters of parcels at major intersections, zoned so that shops, offices and homes could share the corner closest to the surrounding subdivisions. On May 11, 2026, the Troy City Council voted 7–0 to rewrite those rules and rezone 90 properties.
For a buyer comparing Troy with Birmingham or Royal Oak, this matters in a specific way. In Troy, two houses with similar square footage, similar finishes and similar prices can sit on very different futures. The difference often comes down to what the parcels at the nearest big intersection are now allowed to become. The listing photos won't show you that. The council resolution will.
Ninety parcels, sorted by corner
The council minutes list each rezoned parcel by intersection, with its old and new zoning. Read together, they show that most nodes didn't gain anything. They returned to the conventional zoning codes in place before the node district existed, which is what city officials said many would do.
| Intersection | Parcels rezoned | Direction of the change |
|---|---|---|
| Long Lake & Rochester | 26 | All from NN to GB |
| Long Lake & Livernois | 13 | 12 to GB, one Treeside Lane parcel to RT |
| Wattles & Livernois | 10 | Mostly NN to CB, plus RT and CF; 3838 Livernois went from NN/CF to CF |
| Wattles & Rochester | 10 | 9 to GB, one to CB |
| Dequindre & Fourteen Mile | 10 | From NN to IB |
| South Boulevard & Rochester | 4 | 3 to GB, one to CB |
| Maple & John R | 13 | Into NN, from O, CB and GB |
| Long Lake & John R | 2 | Orchard Crest parcels from NN to residential R-1C |
| Crooks & Wattles | 2 | From NN to residential R-1B |
One row stands out. At Maple & John R, the map moved the other way: office and business parcels along East Maple and John R were brought into the Neighborhood Node district. Everywhere else, the corners moved toward conventional business zoning or toward residential. The one place that moved toward node-style development is in Troy's southeast corner.
At two intersections, a few node parcels went back to residential zoning. These were the two Orchard Crest addresses near Long Lake & John R and two parcels at Crooks & Wattles, including 926 W. Wattles. For the homes next to those parcels, the question of what might go up next door now has a much narrower answer.
What a node corner can no longer become
The new text does more than redraw the map. According to C&G's report, the revisions cut back on drive-thrus, car washes and data centers. They also allow residential-only development in the nodes only as part of a mixed-use project. The Planning Commission subcommittee behind the changes had found an "overreliance on residential-only development," along with traffic congestion and setback problems. It recommended mixed-use buildings with commercial space on the ground floor and homes above.
Two procedural changes matter as much as the uses. Jeff Williams of the Save Troy Corners neighborhood group said City Council has "taken back the power" to decide when a developer wants to change site types. He also pointed to a height limit of two and a half stories, or 30 feet, for structures built near neighborhood nodes.
The clearest example of how this works on a real corner came a month before the vote. On April 14, 2026, the Planning Commission denied special-use and preliminary site plan approval for a proposed El Car Wash at the northwest corner of Long Lake and Dequindre, which is Neighborhood Node "J." The motion called the car wash "inconsistent with the pedestrian-centric focus of the Master Plan." It also said the project did not serve as "an appropriate gateway into Troy." The application had come back to the commission under a court order, and the public records we reviewed show no later appeal or ruling. That denial was decided under the old ordinance. Savidant reminded commissioners that the new language had not yet been adopted, so the application had to be judged against the rules then in force.
Two corners still being decided
If most corners now have settled answers, two are still open, and both are worth knowing about if you're touring nearby.
Crooks & Wattles. A June 9, 2026 Planning Commission agenda listed The Reserve at Wattles Crest. It is a 54-unit single-family-attached project at 4155 and 4095 Crooks, on the west side of Crooks north of West Wattles, on land zoned Neighborhood Node. That night, the applicant asked to pull the item, and the commission removed it from the agenda. The latest public records we found show no later decision. Those two addresses were not among the Crooks & Wattles parcels moved to residential zoning in May. Back in 2024, Mayor Ethan Baker said much of the public comment on development in Troy came from around Crooks and Wattles and from Square Lake and Livernois.
Square Lake & Livernois, known locally as Troy Corners. This is the newest item on the record. On September 28, 2026, City Council approved a proposal from its planning consultant, Carlisle/Wortman Associates, to develop an action plan for "a walkable urban village" at this intersection, which the city designates Neighborhood Node L. The fee is capped at $15,500. The same resolution authorized City Management to set up a Working Group of city staff, residents, property owners and Planning Commission members to discuss the node's future. We found no record of the group's first meeting. In May, Williams said the Save Troy Corners group was "encouraged by the discussion around forming a task force (for our node)." A buyer looking near this corner this fall is looking at a plan that is still being written.
Why the timing favors careful buyers
The market gives buyers room to do this homework. Realcomp's August 2026 figures for Oakland County, the closest current data available, show 3,903 homes on the market, up 24.3% from August 2025. Closed sales fell 6.3% to 1,489. The county median sale price rose 2.6% to $395,000, and average days on market held at 25. These are countywide numbers, not Troy-only figures. They still describe a market with more choice than a year ago, and more choice leaves time to pull a zoning map before you write an offer.
Troy is also adding housing types that weren't on the map a few years ago, so the corners are not the only places where new homes are going up. In February 2026, the Planning Commission approved Wilshire Meadows: 57 attached townhomes on a 15-acre site north of Wilshire Boulevard and east of Crooks Road. MLive reported the homes at about 1,700 to 1,800 square feet, with starting prices in the low $400,000s. City communications director Courtney Flynn called it "missing middle housing" and said the city envisions "more people living in the Big Beaver District across a variety of multifamily housing types." The developer agreed to put a conservation easement on a landscaped berm to buffer nearby homes.
A corner check before you make an offer
When a Troy house makes your shortlist, these are the steps we'd take with you:
- Find the nearest major intersection. Then check whether it appears in the May 11, 2026 council resolution, which lists every rezoned parcel by address.
- Look at the new zoning code next to the old one. A move from NN to GB, CB or residential zoning means the parcel no longer falls under the node rules.
- Check whether the corner is still a node. Maple & John R joined the district, and Square Lake & Livernois has an active planning process.
- Search recent Planning Commission agendas for the addresses closest to the house. The Reserve at Wattles Crest shows that a project can be pulled from an agenda without being withdrawn for good.
- Confirm current status with the City of Troy Planning Department. Zoning questions about a specific parcel belong with the city, and it is the authority on what is allowed today.
None of this is legal advice, and zoning can change again through the same public process that changed it this year.
Frequently asked questions
Does the rewrite affect my house if it isn't on the list? The 90 rezoned parcels were all at or near the listed intersections. A house a few lots away isn't rezoned. Its future neighbors may be governed by different rules now.
Can a gas station or drive-thru still open at a node? The revisions removed car washes, gas stations and drive-thru restaurants as node uses. On a corner that moved to a conventional business district, check that district's own rules with the city.
Where can I follow the Troy Corners plan? Council approved the Carlisle/Wortman proposal and authorized the Working Group on September 28, 2026. Updates will show up in City Council and Planning Commission agendas.
Before you fall for a Troy floor plan, let's look at the corner together. Kathy Remski can pull the zoning at the nearest intersection, check what's on the city's recent agendas and help you weigh both in your offer. Let's Connect.
