Last Thursday, shovels and an excavator finally hit the dirt at Auburn Oaks in Rochester Hills, a new neuro-inclusive neighborhood designed to give adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities long-term places to live. The project is expected to deliver roughly 55 homes and is being pitched by organizers as a mix of ownership and rental options that keep families rooted in the community.
What Auburn Oaks Will Include
Auburn Oaks will include 41 condominiums across five buildings, nine single-family homes and five townhomes, with 17 condominiums and two single-family homes reserved for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, according to Oakland County. The development’s condo buildings are designed so IDD units sit alongside market-rate units and can be customized or combined to create larger suites for residents with more complex needs.
Funding And Partners
The project is a public-private collaboration supported by the Oakland Together Housing Trust Fund, the Michigan State Housing Development Authority, Community Housing Network, F&M Bank, First State Bank and private equity partners, with the HTF providing $1.5 million in mezzanine financing, county officials said. Auburn Oaks is another example of how strong public-private partnerships can create innovative housing solutions, Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter said in the county release.
Developers And The Neighborhood Model
Rochester Housing Solutions, a family-founded nonprofit, partnered with Three Oaks Communities to build a model that mixes homes for people with IDD alongside units for neurotypical buyers, keeping residents connected to jobs and services. "We are filling a desperate need," David Mingle, RHS executive director, told WXYZ.
Michigan Public reports there are roughly 49,000 Michiganders with intellectual or developmental disabilities and that Auburn Oaks is a roughly $35 million project and Three Oaks’ third neuro-inclusive neighborhood in Michigan. The outlet notes that the shortage of long-term, disability-friendly housing is prompting developers and nonprofits to try new funding and ownership approaches statewide.
Move-In Timing And Availability
Three Oaks states that final approvals are secured, move-ins are expected to begin in late 2027 and roughly 94% of the IDD units have already been reserved. Interested families can join a reservation list through the developer's Auburn Oaks page for pricing and co-ownership or rental details.
How Auburn Oaks Fits Locally
Auburn Oaks sits off Auburn Road west of Crooks Road, placing it near schools, services and the earlier Walton Oaks project that also uses a neuro-inclusive model. Municipal documents show Walton Oaks broke ground in 2024 and advocates hope the approach keeps adults with disabilities in the communities where they were raised.
Organizers say Auburn Oaks will give parents breathing room and residents a chance to build equity without sacrificing community ties, and they expect more projects like it to move forward across Michigan. For more information, Rochester Housing Solutions maintains a neighborhood page with site plans and reservation details, and local reporting by Crain's Detroit covered the recent ceremony.
