On August 12, 2026, the Chaldean Community Foundation and Sterling Heights Planning Department presented a revised development proposal. It covers the Riverland Park property on North Van Dyke Avenue. The Planning Commission subsequently approved the revised proposal. The City has posted the August 12 meeting materials. 

This revised plan designates the landmark chinquapin oak, Tree #2168 (also known as the Sterling Oak), for preservation. However, preserving the trunk is not the same as protecting the root system that sustains it. It is well-established by now that trees like this oak, along with other established large mother trees, never stand in isolation. They are connected to surrounding wetlands and natural systems more than we realize, including nearby trees.

While the new proposal identifies the Sterling Oak as being preserved, the developer is also requesting a reduction of its ordinance-protected critical root zone from approximately 80.6 feet to 54 feet in radius — reducing the protected area by about 54%. The rationale presented was that soil within the requested area is needed as fill to raise the proposed building in the floodplain.

Protected Area reduced by more than half

This is significant because Sterling Heights’ tree-protection requirements prohibit activities such as construction, filling, and soil deposits within the critical root zone of a tree designated for preservation. The International Society of Arboriculture notes that there are “no universally accepted methods to calculate the CRZ,” and its current guidance considers factors including a tree’s age and sensitivity to construction disturbance.

Sterling Heights’ ordinance standard of 1.5 feet of protection for every inch of trunk diameter also mirrors guidance found in the 2008 Low Impact Development Manual for Michigan, a document hosted on the City’s own website. These guidelines, however, cannot account for all future stresses an old tree may face — including prolonged drought, flooding, extreme weather, or other effects of a changing climate. Reducing the protected root area now also reduces the tree’s margin for responding to those unknown stresses in the decades ahead. Root stress symptoms may not show for years.

Protecting the entire parcel – all trees and wetlands still an option

The property has also not yet transferred from City ownership under the original purchase agreement. The North Van Dyke Master Plan previously identified preserving natural areas as one possible use of portions of this property.

On Monday, September 14, the Sterling Heights Board of Ordinance Appeals will hold a public hearing on case G26-0211, which the City describes as a request by the Chaldean Community Foundation for a “variance for the size of the critical root zone.”

• Administrative Liaison – Jason Castor
  Email: [email protected]
  Phone: 586-446-2731

The meeting begins at 7:00 p.m. at Sterling Heights City Hall, 40555 Utica Road. The City’s notice invites interested persons to speak and asks anyone intending to speak to arrive before 7:00 p.m.