The City of Bloomfield Hills Master Plan, prepared in 2009 (and reaffirmed without changes in 2014, 2019 and 2024) provides the framework for the City’s zoning standards and rules for development. Guidance from the Master Plan reinforces the goals of allowing development consistent with the city's unique characteristics - open spaces between buildings, tree-filled sites, and architecture compatible with the City's significant historic structures.

In the past, this guidance has led to the creation of a largely office-based corridor along Woodward Avenue. A concentrated area of retail and restaurant uses are found in the City Center - at the intersection of Long Lake Road and Woodward Avenue. In recent months, the City of Bloomfield Hills has received inquiries for the development and use of land in this City Center area, as well as further south on Woodward Avenue, where a concentration of institutional uses are located. Some of the proposed uses may be inconsistent with what the current zoning standards allow.

Recognizing that the City Center land use designation includes a variety of zoning districts, including C-1 Commercial, both office districts (O-1 and O-2), and a P-1 parking district, the 2009 Master Plan recommended the strategies to promote a vibrant business community that respects the City’s character, defined by high quality building and site design. Further south along Woodward Avenue, zoning is primarily I-1 Institutional. There have been no zoning changes within these areas since the 2009 Master Plan.

Due to the number of inquiries along Woodward Avenue, the City has placed a 90-day moratorium on development applications to allow time to study the plans and current regulations. A special study of this area will review land use issues, gather public input, and provide guidance for future planning and zoning decisions.

Note that the outcome of this study will not change zoning regulations but will offer strategies that the Planning Commission and City Commission may explore to address land use, trends, and needs of the community.