Long plagued by drainage problems, the Hammerslea/Joslyn Road area is the subject of a new permit application filed with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) to fill in a wetland area for the purpose of constructing a new home.
The Orion Township Board of Trustees were given notice of the application at its Sept. 7 meeting, and voted to request the MDEQ hold a public hearing on the matter in the township.
The application involves a total area of 4,800 square feet to be impacted, placing 1,070 cubic yards of clean fill to a maximum depth of six feet. No mitigation was proposed, and the construction is to be done at 2327 Hammerslea.
‘A lot of the problems on Hammerslea have been going on for 15 years,? said supervisor Jerry Dywasuk. ‘New houses are going up there…this will not only present a problem for the building site, but also additional problems for that area.?
Clerk Jill Bastian said she had received calls from residents in the area who were watching the new construction on that road, and wondered how it could be done.
‘I guess what’s troubling me is how are people getting building permits?? she asked, adding that one of the residents told her they would have purchased the lot next to them but they were told it was swamp land.
‘I share your concern, and dealing with the building department, they’ve told me their hands are tied,? said Dywasuk. ‘It’s platted property and there are certain controls we didn’t have on it. The township’s done everything they can within the legal framework.?
Trustee Michael Gingell said the board should gather comments and present them to the MDEQ prior to them holding a hearing.
‘I think their only reluctance has been holding hearings when they’re not sure if people will show up,? said Bastian.
‘It’s only right and proper we give the citizens the opportunity,? Gingell said.
The MDEQ will set a date for the hearing, and the board said they would notify residents on Hammerslea, Candlewick and on Joslyn, south of Hammerslea about the hearing.