Anyone who has tried to turn left into the Livonia Costco knows the drill: long lines, awkward angles, and a bit of white-knuckle driving. Now city officials and developers are pitching a roughly $25 million to $30 million overhaul of the Millennium Park shopping center that they say is designed to unclog Middlebelt Road and tame those risky moves.
The plan would shuffle how drivers get fuel and move through the site by relocating Costco’s gas pumps away from Middlebelt, adding a Meijer fuel station and small-format shop, and reworking parking and internal circulation. Project backers say the redesign is aimed at calming hazardous left turns and better organizing traffic at a shopping hub where box-store congestion has become routine. The proposals were laid out during a Livonia City Council study meeting on Monday.
Project details
As reported by MLive, the redevelopment is being pitched as an estimated $25 million to $30 million investment. Plans call for an eight-pump Meijer fuel station paired with a roughly 3,300-square-foot convenience store, a small-format Meijer, and a proposed El Car Wash on the same parcel.
Developers also want to relocate and expand the nearby Costco fueling island, convert underused parking areas into green space, and reconfigure key intersections within the center to restrict some turning movements. Representatives told MLive the changes are meant to better serve customers already coming to Millennium Park rather than attract a major influx of new traffic.
Permits and timeline
City paperwork tracks closely with what is being pitched. Planning and council agendas list waiver petitions submitted by Costco and Meijer that reference properties along Middlebelt between Schoolcraft Road and Millennium Drive, including 13700 Middlebelt, 13550 Middlebelt and 13000 Middlebelt. The petitions were included in the Planning Commission packet and discussed at the May 4 study meeting, with related items scheduled for a regular council meeting later this month, according to the city's agenda.
The documents identify the area as the Millennium Park shopping center and seek zoning waivers tied to fuel-station use and site reconfiguration. Those waivers would need approval before any construction could begin.
Local reaction
“When you’re trying to make a left into the Costco, you’re playing roulette with everything,” Livonia City Council President Brandon McCullough told MLive, summing up the everyday stress of navigating the current layout.
Project representative Jim Epping described the planned Meijer fuel station as “more than a filling station, it’s a traffic solution to so many different issues that are happening at Millennium Park.” Both city officials and developers have framed the work as a safety and circulation fix rather than a push to expand the overall retail footprint.
Next steps
The planning petitions still have to clear Livonia’s zoning process. Agenda materials show the items remain under review by the Planning Commission, with formal votes expected in mid May. Public hearings and conditions on waivers are standard steps and would be followed by site-plan reviews and building permits, according to the city's planning packet.
Residents can expect additional public notices and engineering reports as the proposal continues through the permitting pipeline.
Traffic impact
Millennium Park is a large power center anchored by Costco, Meijer and Home Depot, and its multiple driveways onto Middlebelt have long been a choke point during peak shopping hours. Property listings describe the center’s broad footprint between Middlebelt and Schoolcraft and show a lineup of inline tenants that rely on shared, coordinated access, according to commercial listings on LoopNet.
If permits and site plans are approved, the relocation of fueling islands, additional landscaping, and more-structured intersections could cut down on turning conflicts and improve safety. City engineers are expected to weigh in on those potential benefits during detailed review.
