After two prior appearances before the Farmington Hills City Council, Culver’s has finally been approved for Orchard Twelve Plaza.
By: Gena Johnson | Farmington Press | Published April 17, 2026
FARMINGTON HILLS — At the Farmington Hills City Council meeting April 13, members voted unanimously to approve amendments to a planned unit development, paving the way for a Culver’s restaurant at the Orchard Twelve Plaza, located on the northwest corner of Orchard Lake and 12 Mile roads.
This was the third time that Culver’s appeared before council. The first was in January and the second was Feb. 23; on both occasions, the council requested more details and struggled to decipher the renderings, with one member referring to them as “lines and squiggles.” Some even interpreted the renderings with traffic driving on the wrong side of the road.
At the April 13 meeting, the applicant finally satisfied the council, presenting renderings that depicted the correct flow of traffic, with signage directing drivers as they entered the lot, clearly labeled parking spaces, and clear depictions of how to navigate the restaurant’s drivethru. The menu boards and setback were also shown.
Councilwoman Valerie Knol, who was concerned about the traffic flow, was pleased now that she could see vehicles wouldn’t misinterpret the direction of traffic and crash into each other.
Previously, other areas of concern included the menu boards, setback and parking situation. The menu boards were in front of the restaurant and could be viewed from the street. Some council members felt this was an eyesore. The reduced setback also didn’t comply with the zoning ordinance, and council worried how the parking configuration would impact other businesses.
Allen Eizember, a representative from Culver’s engineering firm, Nowak & Fraus Engineers, said that taller shrubs would be added to camouflage or cover the boards.
Council agreed to the 44-foot setback that Culver’s requested, which is much shorter than the 120-foot standard established by the zoning ordinance.
Initially, Culver’s was seen as taking away parking spaces from other established businesses in the shopping center, with its location slated for the vacant lot between the Scramblers restaurant and Comerica Bank.
Randell Carron, the owner of Scramblers, was originally opposed to Culver’s setting up in this location. After working with the city’s engineering department, they suggested using underutilized parking in the back for employees, and the lot will be striped and lit. The restaurant would install an awning with the Scramblers logo over the backdoor, he said.
“I think it will look really nice,” Carron said, speaking of the changes that will be made to his restaurant. “We’re trying to work with everybody.”
The council was happy to see an established business willing to work with a new neighbor.
“Randy, I’m glad to see that you support it,” Knol said. “I actually think putting an awning on the south side of your business is going to be fantastic for (your business).”
Boleware spoke of the need for more restaurants in the community. Although she wanted to see Culver’s in Farmington Hills, she initially thought it was not a good fit for this location.
However, with the “friendly amendments” made to the project — including a wider driveway for easier exits, the striped and lit parking in the back of Scramblers, and a commitment from the restaurant to contribute 0.5% of the total cost of the development to public art, either on their property or donated to the public art fund and placed somewhere else — the councilwoman was now in agreement with the project.
The applicant and owner of the franchise, Derrick Sesi, agreed to the City Council’s terms.
“As hard as it has been the last three (attempts), I do think that you guys helped us bring the best thing forward today,” Sesi said. “So, thank you.”