Troy planners approve preliminary site plan for Turtle Woods park

Troy's first Oakland County park moved closer to opening after the Planning Commission voted 8-0 on Tuesday, Oct. 27, to grant preliminary site plan approval for Turtle Woods County Park.

The roughly 70-acre site at 2473 E. Square Lake Road, between John R and Dequindre roads, would include a 31-space parking lot, a restroom building, a trailhead and a boardwalk over a wetland, according to Troy Thrive's coverage of the meeting.

Commissioners attached two conditions to the approval: appropriate lighting reviewed by city staff, with a photometric plan if needed, and submission of building colors and material samples for administrative review.

The decision advances a project Oakland County Parks has been developing to preserve a natural area while creating formal public access.

Troy's first county park

Oakland County Parks acquired Turtle Woods in 2026 with assistance from a $2.175 million Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund grant.

The Troy School District had owned the land since the 1950s, originally purchasing it as a potential high school site that was never needed.

The property later became a place for informal recreation, nature education and ecology lessons.

In 2024, the school board donated half the property's value to help make the acquisition possible. Six Rivers Land Conservancy held the land during the grant and purchase process before transferring it to Oakland County Parks.

The county estimates its investment in park development at nearly $2.9 million.

Turtle Woods contains wetlands that feed the Clinton River Watershed and a rare wet lakeplain prairie ecosystem. Wildlife and vegetation include Blanding's turtles and native plants such as wahoo and seedbox.

The county intends to maintain Turtle Woods as a nature discovery park with limited development.

Planned amenities include accessible trails, boardwalks, wildlife viewing areas, restrooms, educational displays and wayfinding signs.

Construction of trails, boardwalks and the trailhead is tentatively scheduled to begin in spring 2027, with parking lot and restroom work following that summer.

The park is anticipated to open in fall 2027.

Lighting, building materials and landscaping

Lighting became a major discussion point during the Planning Commission's Oct. 27 review.

The original proposal included porch lights at the restroom building but no parking lot lighting. Commissioners added a requirement for appropriate lighting that would improve public safety without unnecessarily affecting the natural setting.

The second condition requires city staff to review proposed colors and building materials.

Resident Russell Reynolds also raised concerns about non-native plants included in the landscape design, including Norway spruce.

Planning staff acknowledged the landscaping concerns, but commissioners did not attach a separate landscaping condition to their approval.

The park's preliminary approval does not replace other applicable construction, environmental or permitting requirements.

North Troy zoning proposal advances toward hearing

The commission also reviewed proposed regulations for a North Troy Zoning District, a mixed-use area intended to guide redevelopment of older commercial and office properties.

The draft would provide for a combination of housing, offices, retail and public spaces, with separate core and perimeter districts.

Consultant Ben Carlisle of Carlisle Wortman Associates discussed revisions involving residential setbacks, ground-floor uses and open-space requirements.

One proposed change would establish a 30-foot minimum front setback where a property faces or adjoins residentially zoned or used land outside the district.

Open-space requirements would vary by property size, with larger sites required to provide a greater share of open space.

The commission did not vote on the zoning amendment.

Carlisle asked to bring the proposal forward for a public hearing at a future meeting. The Planning Commission would make a recommendation, while Troy City Council would have final authority over the ordinance change.