RENO initiative to help support residential projects

ROYAL OAK — The city of Royal Oak is adopting a new program called RENO, the Residential Enhancement and Neighborhood Opportunity program, that waives all city of Royal Oak building and inspection permit fees for qualifying projects to encourage development that supports the city’s master plan and Sustainability and Climate Action Plan priorities. 

Meg Trouba, economic development director, presented the program during the Oct. 13 City Commission meeting. 

Trouba said that the program has three focus areas, and each focus area will have a number of correlating activities that would be deemed eligible and would allow a project to take advantage of the initiative. 

The first focus area is green neighborhoods, which involves Building Department activities that are focused on renewable energy, energy efficiency and water conservation. 

The second focus area is affordable housing, which is going to cover activities that are meant to support attainable housing and improvements that make a home resilient. 

The third focus is aging in place, which involves accessibility, safety and independence for seniors. 

“We have these three focus areas, and within each area you will find a number of eligible activities, and each activity will be rooted back into the master plan or the S-CAP,” Trouba said. “There’s over 30 identified eligible program activities right now, all three that fit into those areas.”

During the presentation, Trouba mentioned some ideas for different projects that would fall within the program’s guidelines.

“The first focus area is to have green neighborhoods. We are focused on permitted activities that would involve renewable energy, electrification, energy efficiency, water conservation and green infrastructure,” she said. 

That would include installation of an electrical service or panel upgrade to help accommodate EV infrastructure, or a new EV charger circuit. Upgrades to furnaces and boilers, installing energy-efficient windows and doors, or installing water-saving fixtures also apply. 

In focus area two, affordable housing, eligible projects can include accessory dwelling units and garage conversions, multifamiliy housing construction or renovations, water heater replacement, sewer cleanout and repairs, and more that creates more efficiency and allows for a more affordable and resilient housing stock. 

The third focus area is aligning with efforts to encourage aging in place. 

“We are looking at health and safety here and creating a resilient environment and preparing for a potential emergency,” Trouba said. 

Some Building Department activities that would qualify include ramp installation or widening a doorway for wheelchair access or installing a stairlift or elevator, kitchen modifications, accessible bathtubs and showers, and more. 

“All of these types  of activities would be something that you would need a permit from the Building Department to accomplish, and they have been determined eligible activities under this program,” Trouba said. “We see a lot of potential community benefits. It’s really about taking some of these great policy documents that we have, our master plan and the S-CAP, and putting them to work so we can actually see tangible impact on our residential neighborhoods.”

Any residential homeowner who is thinking about making any improvements or applying for a permit similar to the activities that were described can apply for the RENO program. The program covers zeroing out the city permit fees that would be associated with the project. 

The program does not cover the contractor labor, materials or any kind of state fees or any third party reviews that need to happen, Trouba said. 

“The application process will be relatively simple once it’s launched, and that won’t happen until possibly Oct. 28 after the commission meeting on the 27th,” Trouba said. “The program guidelines and eligible activities will be available online. … What you would do is go ahead and review that, complete an application available online and submit that application right when you’re applying for the building permit.”

Any of the work that would be considered eligible does have to be properly permitted work, and it has to meet all the codes and standards that are set by the state construction code, according to Trouba. 

The fee waivers will be valid for one year, and properties that are taking advantage of the program need to be current on their taxes and their utilities with the city. 

“The program is a pilot; it is set to sunset at the end of 2027. It is about a two-year pilot, so at that point we would reassess and a possible renewal may be considered,” Trouba said. 

Commissioner Brandon Kolo asked Trouba if this program is unique to Royal Oak or if surrounding communities have done this before. 

“This is amazing. This is great to see. This has been a quickly developed program within the last six or eight months, so thank you to staff for going about this,” Kolo said.

Trouba said that surrounding communities do have incentives, but she is not aware of any that are implementing waiving all the permit fees. 

“It’s really a unique effort by Royal Oak to say that we are putting our money where our mouth is. We are putting this policy in action in a really tangible way, and there isn’t a directly comparable program in metro Detroit,” Trouba said. 

“I think this is really cool. Royal Oak is doing what it needs to do to not just make goals, but do things big and small, to live up to those goals and achieve them,” Mayor Michael Fournier said. “So, I’m glad to have you focused on this, Meg. We’re excited to see what comes on the 28th, and we’re excited to see all the results.”

The RENO project will be brought back to the City Commission on Oct. 28 for a second reading following the unanimous support of the City Commission for the first reading.