Citizens packed last week’s Oxford Township Planning Commission meeting until it was standing-room-only to voice their concerns and opposition to the proposed conditional rezoning of the nearly 1,200-acre Koenig Sand & Gravel property along Lakeville Road.
‘To come in with a high density plan on this property is an insult to all of us,? said resident Todd Lawrie, who lives on Oxford Road.
Planning commissioners discussed Springwood Park LLC’s proposal for a conditional rezoning which would allow the developer to build a maximum of 2,500 residential units, no more than 1,000 of which would be attached units.
‘Twenty-five hundred (units) is a massive density increase over what the current zoning is,? noted Commissioner Jack Curtis. ‘I really have a problem with this.?
A public hearing regarding the proposed rezoning has been set for 7:30p.m. Thursday, Feb. 22 with a tentative location of Oxford High School.
Currently, approximately 1,000 acres of the Koenig property is zoned as SF-2 (Suburban Farms 2), which means one unit can be built for every five acres.
About 157 acres in the property’s northwest area is zoned Central Area Development (CAD).
A majority of the residents in attendance favored keeping the less dense SF-2 zoning.
‘Every public poll, every election that we have had in this township shows that the vast majority of our citizens are not in favor of this kind of high density,? said resident Henry Gleisner. ‘It’s too extreme. It’s too out of line.?
Under terms of the conditional rezoning proposed by Springwood Park, 1,155.96 acres would be changed to RM (Residential-Multiple Family) and 9.664 acres to C-1 (local commercial).
Normally, the RM zoning category permits a maximum density of 10 units per acre.
But Springwood Park has voluntarily offered via a written agreement to divide the massive property into four residential zoning sub-districts of varying densities.
Only one sub-district, denoted on the map as simply ‘HD,? would be used and developed as permitted in the township’s RM zoning district. The HD sub-district would be comprised of two areas ? 157.3 acres in the northwest along Oxford Road and 57.8 acres in the southeast along Lakeville Road.
The other three sub-districts would have densities less than the 10 units per acre permitted by RM zoning.
Kevin Kohls, an attorney representing Springwood Park, said these sub-districts are intended to create ‘a transition of density as you move away from the village in a northeasterly direction.?
There would be a 281.9-acre ‘MD? district to the west with a maximum density of six units per acre. Then a 301.5-acre ‘SF-A? district in the center permitting up to four units per acre.
And finally a 228.8-acre ‘SF-B? district to the east allowing no more than two units per acre.
Commissioner Kallie Roesner asked what each of the designations, such as HD, stood for.
‘HD is just HD,? Kohls said.
The same was true for MD. However, Kohls said the SF designations stood for ‘single family.?
Roesner noted that under the township zoning ordinance SF stood for Suburban Farms, which have larger lot sizes and lower density than either of Springwood Park’s two SF districts.
‘When you look at this it’s deceptive. It looks like it’s Suburban Farms, which is a zoning classification,? she said. ‘I just think it’s deceiving.?
Jeremy Lopatin, an associate with the township’s planner Carlisle/Wortman Inc., expressed his concern that zoning virtually the entire property multiple family while having 1,500 or more units in reality be detached single family residences ‘sort of turns the zoning ordinance on its head? and ‘could cause some mayhem in the future in terms of implementation.?
‘It’s a little troubling that the entirety of the residential component is designated RM in the proposal,? he told officials. ‘At minimum it’s confusing and it could create misconceptions.?
Springwood Park’s written offer to donate 32 acres of usable land for public uses such as a fire station, school, senior center and a community center wasn’t met with enthusiasm by the commission.
With regard to the proposed two-acre donation for a fire station, Commissioner Curtis said, ‘Who’s going to donate the millions of dollars it costs to (buy) the fire trucks, (construct) the building, (install) the water lines, (buy) the equipment, everything that goes in there??
‘It’s the citizens that have to do it,? he said.
Curtis noted that some of the property proposed by the developer as park land is actually wetlands.
‘I don’t know how you’re going to put a baseball diamond in a swamp,? he said.
Even if the developer donates land for parks, Curtis said ‘the citizens are going to have to pay for? all the baseball diamonds, soccer fields, etc.
Commissioner Roener inquired as to Springwood Park’s plans to provide water and sewer to its residents.
Kohls said the development’s sewer needs would be served either by a private waste water treatment facility or by hooking into the public sewer system or by a combination of the two.
As for water, Kohls said a community well and distribution system would be constructed ‘in accordance with current standards.? If requested by the township, this community well would become part of the township’s water system.
Roesner also inquired as to what traffic improvements the developer has planned to compensate for the increased traffic flow on Lakeville Road.
Kohls replied that nothing had been planned for Lakeville, but Springwood Park was offering to pave roughly a half-mile stretch of Ray Road between Oxford Road and M-24.
As for M-24, Kohls said there wasn’t much they could do.
‘M-24 is what it is today. I’m not here to suggest that M-24 congestion would be relieved as a result of our development,? he said. ‘We’ll do our best to mitigate the impact of our community, but that’s a problem that extends beyond what we do.?
Residents who attended the meeting did not respond favorably to Springwood Park’s proposed plan.
‘It’s a huge impact on this community, don’t forget that,? said resident Robin Jickling. ‘We’re not really gaining anything by that.?
While the developer stands to gain financially, the ‘only thing? Oxford will gain is ‘more traffic, more people.?
‘This community right now can’t withstand that,? she said.
Given the state economy is ‘in the dumpster,? Jickling asked, ‘Who is going to buy these houses??
‘People are losing their homes. There are more bankruptcies now,? she said.
Jickling predicted that the Springwood Park development, if approved, will sit for more than 15 years and if won’t be the current developer who finishes it.
‘It will be the developer after them who buys them out for pennies on the dollar,? she said.
Margaret Monprode, a resident of Oxford Lakes in the village and president of Oxford/Orion FISH, urged the planning commission to consider the need for inexpensive housing ‘scattered? around the community.
‘I work with people everyday who don’t have money to make ends meet,? she said. ‘The least amount you can buy an apartment here ? two bedroom, one bath, not particularly nice ? is $700 (per month).?
‘As Oxford is growing and needing new school teachers and needing new policemen and needing new firemen and needing people to work at Kohl’s ? you’ve got to have a place for those people to live,? Monprode explained.
‘As the planning commission is looking at these giant developments that are going to come ? and if it’s not this one, it’s going to be another one ? you guys have to make provisions for low income housing.?