Bloomfield Township planning commission delays decision on Bloomfield Hollows event center amid neighbor safety concerns
A proposal for a large-scale venue in a wooded area heads back for further review
A proposed event venue known as “Bloomfield Hollows” drew a large public response in Bloomfield Township, Michigan, where residents pressed local officials to slow down deliberations and address concerns ranging from traffic and noise to public safety and environmental impacts. After hearing testimony at a packed meeting on Monday, Feb. 16, 2026, the township’s planning commission voted to table the item until its next meeting.
The project is planned for roughly 30 wooded acres east of Franklin Road and north of Square Lake Road. Plans presented publicly describe the venue as an event space designed to host large gatherings, including concerts and festivals, with capacity estimates that reach more than 1,000 attendees for certain formats. The developer behind the project is chef and restaurateur Zack Sklar, who also operates a catering business and a hospitality staffing company.
What residents told commissioners
Neighbors living near the site told commissioners they were worried about the scale of the project and the proximity of high-capacity events to homes. A central theme was public safety: residents questioned how organizers would manage large crowds at night across a forested property and what additional burdens could fall on surrounding streets and emergency services.
“It is going to be a significant safety risk … How on earth do we expect anybody at this event center to corral a thousand people in the dark on 31 acres?”
Several residents also said they learned about the proposal only recently and believed the project had advanced without sufficient outreach. Commissioners acknowledged during the meeting that broader engagement with nearby households could have occurred earlier in the process.
What’s in the proposal
Site: About 30 acres of wooded land near Franklin Road and Square Lake Road.
Concept: A purpose-built event venue intended for large gatherings.
Scale: Public materials describe capacities that can exceed 1,000 attendees for some events.
Timeline discussed publicly: Construction has been described as about a year, with a target opening in late 2027.
Environmental review runs in parallel
Separate from land-use and site-planning questions, the proposal is also undergoing wetlands review. A township public notice issued Jan. 29, 2026 described a wetlands permit application for the Bloomfield Hollow development on Franklin Road. The notice states that the project would affect a wetland area at an entrance drive, with proposed mitigation measures including invasive-species removal and natural plantings within buffer yards. The township’s Wetlands Board scheduled a public hearing for Feb. 16, 2026 at 6:30 p.m., immediately ahead of the planning commission meeting.
What happens next
The planning commission serves as a recommending body in Bloomfield Township. Its recommendations are forwarded to the township board of trustees, which can take final action on approvals. For now, the commission’s tabling decision keeps the proposal in an interim stage, with developers expected to return with additional information and commissioners weighing how to address the neighborhood’s concerns before any recommendation moves forward.