A Commerce Township plan for the first major retail development in Southeast Michigan in more than a decade moved a step closer to becoming a reality last week.

The township approved a planned unit development for the mixed-use project last week.

As envisioned by developer Robert B. Aikens LLC, the $100 million first phase of the 55-acre project would bring the next generation of retail development to the region and the first since the 2007 launch of open-air shopping mall Partridge Creek in Clinton Township.

The new project, dubbed "Five & Main," would combine experiential offerings people can't get from online shopping, like restaurants, spinning, salons and pet care shops, with high-end and destination retail, residential development, a dog park and access to nature trails.

Those elements would be woven together in a driveable and walkable open-air development with a downtown feel.

Located on the northeast corner of Pontiac Trail and M-5, the first phase would include 341,137 square feet of retail space. More than half or 56 percent would be taken up by restaurants, specialty food and beverage retailers and entertainment options.

By contrast, malls have traditionally only had about 15 percent food and entertainment options, said Ken Nisch, chairman of Southfield-based JGA, a brand strategy and retail design firm.

As it works on a site plan to submit to the township, Aikens is now in final lease negotiations with anchor retailers including a movie theater and a gourmet market. It hopes to get signed commitment from the theater before the International Council of Shopping Centers' national RECON conference in Las Vegas in late May to leverage in talks with other retailers, said Vice Chairman Robert Bruce Aikens Jr.

To secure financing for the project, Aikens is working to get 60-70 percent of it leased, he said.

The developer is also in conversations with an undisclosed residential developer. Once an agreement is in place, Aikens will work with the developer to firm up whether it will designate half of the 300 luxury apartments planned as age-limited for people age 55 and over.

Aikens hopes to launch construction a year from this spring and to open in fall of 2020.

"A lot of retailers in our business have come to a project like this versus a mall because it has a chance to create an experience with landscaping, art, streets and people," Bruce Aikens said during the township meeting last week.

" ... More retailers are moving to that type of environment because they know they can't just sell jeans. They have to sell an experience."