Holding their bi-weekly meeting at the Oxford Township Meeting Room on Feb. 27, the Planning Commission voted, 5-0, to recommend the approval of a two-phased Beaumont medical complex to the Board of Trustees.
This was the second time the Planning Commission has green lit this project. The group previously voted to approve the proposal at their Dec. 12, 2019 gathering, but the board sent it back at their Jan. 8 meeting to get further clarification on three details.
These three details were building height, construction time and amount of signage. Recognizing the benefits Beaumont would provide Oxford Township, the Planning Commission recommended making the necessary accommodations.
“This hospital is what we need,” Commissioner Jack Curtis, who also serves on the board of trustees, opined. “I’m really in favor of this.”
The amount of signage had been, perhaps, the largest sticking point in the process. Initially requesting 5,060 square feet of wall signs and 3,150 square feet of freestanding signs, Beaumont reduced their asking amount to 1,200 and 400 square feet, respectively.
“It’s certainly tremendously less than what we were originally asking for,” Bryan Wickersham, Director of Ambulatory Expansion for Beaumont, shared.
The construction time variable has been dependent on Beaumont receiving their Certificate of Need (CON) from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). The first phase of Beaumont’s proposal, a 100,000-square-foot ambulatory center, does not require the CON. Phase two, the 225,000-square-foot hospital, however, does.
Due to the uncertainty surrounding the CON, Beaumont is requesting to have their PUD valid for a 10-year period, instead of the one-year typically granted. If the MDHHS grants Beaumont’s CON, construction must begin within 24 months (two years) or the CON will lapse.
Planning to construct their facility on a 25-acre land parcel on the east side of Lapeer Rd. just north of the Village of Oxford, Beaumont’s buildings received approval from the Planning Commission to reach a maximum height of 110 feet.
“We’re really excited about the opportunity to bring health care to Oxford,” Wickersham said.
While the Planning Commission meets twice monthly, the trustees only meet once per month. Headed by Township Supervisor Bill Dunn, the board’s next opportunity to officially approve the PUD will come on March 11 at 6:30 p.m. at the Oxford Township Meeting Room, located at 300 Dunlap Rd.
As always, these meetings are open to the public and have a “public comment” section for anyone to state their approval, ask questions, or raise any concerns.

  Beaumont