By Meg Peters
Review Staff Writer
The conceptual plans for 387 homes across the Bald Mountain Golf Course were neither approved nor denied at the joint planning commission and township board meeting on September 3.
Bob Halso, the applicant representing Pulte Homes, presented conceptual ideas for the 236 acre public golf course which would be replaced with three village communities of different themed neighborhoods.
His ideas were torn apart by many local area residents.
‘Pulte leaves no tree standing, that’s their policy,? one resident said. ‘And that will greatly affect my property. The plan I saw in the building department is going to have seven or eight houses along my property line staring into my backyard.?
‘On Pulte’s website for the Stonegate West development under the neighborhood features tab, proximity to Bald Mountain Golf Course is listed as a selling feature, which I find to be the ultimate irony,? resident Chris Phillips of Kern Rd. said.
Pulte has attended four pre-application meetings in Orion Township concerning the prospective purchase of the Bald Mountain Golf Course, and amended conceptual plans according to concerns Halso has discerned.
Initially the plans included 440 sites on the 236 acre golf course, which was chiseled down to 387 to meet local concerns.
The main concerns Halso found corresponded with Kern Rd. traffic, the density of the project, and the use of trails and amenities by the community at large.
‘We entered into purchase agreements for three adjacent pieces of land on the south side of the golf course allowing us to completely revamp the traffic system for the community,? Halso said at the meeting. ‘Instead of accessing all traffic on Kern road now the principle access is to the south aligned with Squirrel Rd. with secondary access on Kern road.?
The master plan for the development includes three village communities, one consisting of 133 ranch-styled homes, another consisting of 157 executive home sites geared towards move-up buyers, and 97 estate sites for people buying their final dream home, Halso said.?’Estate homes could be as large as 3,200 by 4,000 square feet and above.
About 50 acres of land would be left as open space, Halso added, 40 percent more than required by the local ordinance.
Apart from their goal to preserve natural features on the site, Pulte proposed improvements for Jesse Decker park, such as adding ball fields and gravel drives, and also proposes a pathway connection between Jesse Decker Park and Bald Mountain.
While initially the majority of the Silverbell Homeowners Association were against the development, President Phil Langevin spoke of their recent change of heart.
‘We felt that this new subdivision was inevitable so we took the force to try and negotiate with Pulte to get the best possible concessions. Now we as a board support this new subdivision. Pulte has agreed to remove two additional lots, move a cul-de-sac back as a buffer and to plant additional trees,? he said.
The homeowners association, consisting of approximately 240 families, still has concerns with overcrowding the Rochester Hills school district where potential students would be sent.
Tim Copacia, a future resident at another Pulte development called Stonegate West on Squirrel Rd., is excited to move to the area knowing others are coming too.
‘I think it (other development) is a very positive thing,? the current Rochetser Hills resident said. ‘We have always come into the downtown so it’s good to know there is new development and other families coming in,? he said.
Still, the sentiment is a little different for immediately adjacent residents.
Lorraine Skipper utilizes the Bald Mountain Golf Course weekly.
‘When vacant fields become houses that’s one thing, but this is something that truly adds value to where I live,? she said. ‘It’s where my family hangs out. It’s where we get together as a community. The high school plays there. It’s amazing, we don’t have a municipal course on this side of the county.?
Her idea’the township should purchase the course.
‘Density is a significant issue,? Phillips said. ‘It’s noble they reduced the size and number but I think it’s still way too much. I’m in favor of growth of our community, however this growth needs to be disciplined, measured and controlled, and certainly not at the expense of our natural amenities.?
Orion Township Supervisor Chris Barentt said at least 25 percent of Orion Township will always be green space.
‘All the neighborhoods that everyone lives in now were large parcels of land, and have since been rezoned or developed by way of PUD into neighborhoods,? Barnett said. ‘So it’s a balancing act. I know that people want to maintain our park property, but at the same time had it not been for development most of us wouldn’t live here right now.?
The township board and planning commission are in the process of scheduling subsequent public hearings for further discussion.