Community Outlook Breakfast Touts Successes in Rochester, Rochester Hills, and Oakland Township
(Crystal A. Proxmire, March 10, 2024)
Rochester, MI – With just two clicks, the City of Rochester Hills website will re-load in a choice of 70 different languages.
While this may be just an interesting tidbit shared at the Rochester Regional Chamber of Commerce annual community outlook breakfast, it’s actually an important part of the city’s overall efforts to attract residents and businesses from all over the globe.
Rochester Hills Mayor Bryan Barnett sat on the stage at Oakland University’s Student Center with Rochester Mayor Stuart Bikson and Oakland Township Supervisor Robin Buxar. The electeds had been asked about diversity in the community. And in response Barnett spoke about the city’s changing demographics. For example, 13% of the population is Asian, he said.
“In 1990, Rochester Hills was 92% white, now it’s 75%,” he said.
Not only is Rochester Hills becoming more racially diverse, the religious diversity is part of the city’s DNA. The Mayor said that within one mile there is a large Hindu temple, an Albanian Catholic church, a synagogue, and the largest mosque in the United States.
“The way the city reacts to this is important,” he said. “We have to be a welcoming community.”
Mayor of neighboring Rochester Stuart Bikson said “I like to joke that the diversity I want to see is more U of M grads.”
He went on to talk about the diverse ages of residents who call Rochester home. He pointed out that the average age of a Rochester resident is 39 years old. “We provide services for kids and adults,” he said, sharing pride in the OPC Senior Activity Center.
Buxar remarked that “Everyone is welcome in Oakland Township.”
Another topic on the minds of officials is how election season impacts local governments. Mayor Barnett noted that voter turnout was down in the recent primary, citing “a lack of enthusiasm in both parties.” And that it’s harder to get things done “in a Presidential [election] year, because things lock up…. Things tend to get a little frosty in a political year.”
“You all know what you’re going to get in the next seven months in your emails and your mailbox,” he said.
The cost of elections is also rising, with early voting requiring more staffing and security. “Clerks are having a tremendous sea change of the job,” Barnett said. He also talked about the difficulty that he and other community leaders have had in finding space for early voting locations. For example many polling places are in schools or churches which may not mind the disruption on election day, but may not make sense for multiple days’ worth of accommodating voters and staff.
Mayor Bikson agreed, calling them unfunded mandates – meaning requirements placed on local governments by the state that add to local government’s expenses.
Bikson also talked about a recent ballot initiative to allow marijuana businesses in Rochester. “This is a major issue,” he said. “87% of voters said we do not want a dispensery in our town. I’ve never seen our community come together so well. I still have not met one person in favor of it.”
During the breakfast, and in a press conference held just before, officials were able to share what is new and exciting in their communities.
Oakland Township Supervisor Buxar was excited about the recent opening of the Fox Nature Preserve. The 234-acre park has trails through woodlands and fields. A Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund grant covered 75% of the purchase price, with Oakland Township’s Land Preservation millage covering the rest.
In Rochester there are a number of developments in the works, including The Granary which incorporates the historic Rochester Elevator building into a luxury apartment complex with 30 units and a clubhouse.
Riverfront Place is a development adjacent to the Clinton River Trail at 1st and Diversion, which will feature 134 units with a 5 story apartment building and three story townhouses.
The Preserves will have 24 1 bedroom units and 48 2 bedroom units on 5.05 acres. And the Paint Creek Townhomes will have 75 luxury condos with 2-3 bedrooms.
Another point of pride for Mayor Bixon is the addition of a piece of steel from the World Trade Center being added to Hero’s Point – a memorial space at the Fire Station to honor first responders and veterans.
Rochester has also added 26 new maple trees to Sugar Maple Grove.
In Rochester Hills one exciting bit of news is that the City received a $75 million Restoration and Remediation Grant from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) to help clean up contaminated parcels in the city to prepare them for new development.
Parks and recreation are also part of what makes Rochester Hills a desirable place for families. Innovation Hills continues to blossom, with new trails and access to more of the park’s acreage in the works. A dog park is being planned for Eugene S. Nowicki Park. Spencer Park and Bloomer Park will also see improvements to the trails and access to waterways.
Mayor Barnett said that 1.4 million people visited Rochester Hills parks in the previous year. They are investing another $27 million into the parks system.
“In the next four years, Rochester Hills will have the best parks system in the US,” he said.
The future of Rochester Hills is in the hands of residents as the city begins it’s Master Planning process, where the public can give input through surveys and attending meetings.
The press conference also gave Rochester Community Schools Interim Superintendent John Silvari a chance to update the public on the district. Silvari’s career has been with Waterford Schools, though he stepped in to temporarily serve in Rochester while the search in on for next Superintendent. Candidates have been narrowed down and the School Board anticipates selecting that person in hopes of a July 1 start date.
“Now that I am in Rochester Schools, I can tell you unequivocally this is an exceptional district,” Silvari said.
The district has recently added $1.7 million in investment in counselors and academic support initiatives, began offering dual enrollment with Oakland University, and touts a 97% graduation rate.
But the best thing for Silvari has been the kids. “Nothing warms your heart more than seeing students really enjoying the educational experiences they are receiving,” he said.
The breakfast not only gave updates on the communities, it gave Chamber members and guests a chance to network with others from across the Rochester region. Learn more about the Rochester Regional Chamber of Commerce at https://www.rrc-mi.com/.
