OXFORD VILLAGE ? Citizens had plenty to say last week about the 76-unit multiple-family housing development proposed for 98 S. Glaspie St. and none of it was favorable.
One of those citizens was Mike Keene, who grew up in Oxford and lives across the street from the village-owned site.
He enjoys having baseball fields and a beach as his neighbors. He simply can’t picture putting a high-density development between them.
‘I don’t get it,? Keene said. ‘And if we go that route, what’s next??
To him, the proposed development ‘doesn’t seem to make sense? and ‘just doesn’t fit.?
As a self-professed ‘baseball freak,? Keene would rather see the site used for public recreation.
‘We need more baseball fields,? he said. ‘We do and you could put two there.?
The housing project, being proposed as a planned unit development (PUD) by the father-son development team of Chuck and Craig Schneider, was on the village planning commission’s Jan. 19 meeting agenda, but there wasn’t much discussion among officials because the developers were not able to attend.
The Schneiders have a $225,000 purchase agreement in place with the village for the 3.6-acre site, which the municipality bought for $700,000 in March 2006. Their plan is to construct two residential buildings, two and three stories high, containing 52 units in one and 24 in the other.
Commissioner Maureen Helmuth, who also serves on the village council, reported the subcommittee that was negotiating with the Schneiders met on Jan. 14. She said there was lots of discussion and ideas, but no agreement.
‘No consensus could be (reached) ? and we tried,? she said. ‘We beat it back and forth for three hours. God knows we tried.?
The planning commission members who were part of the subcommittee are going to issue a recommendation at the 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 2 meeting, according to Helmuth.
‘The plan is to make a decision Feb. 2, but it may not (happen),? noted village planner Chris Khorey, of the Northville-based McKenna Associates.
In order for the 98 S. Glaspie St. housing development to become a reality, three things must be approved by the village ? the site plan, PUD agreement and a lease agreement for approximately 2 acres of village land to be developed by the Schneiders into a landscaped, public park space.
‘Everything is tied together on this,? Khorey said. ‘If anything is denied, everything is denied.?
The planning commission set the issue aside until its next meeting, but that didn’t stop citizens from trekking to the podium to voice their views during the public comment portion of the meeting.
Because he grew up in a ‘small rural town in northern Michigan,? Grant Fry, a resident of Thornehill Trail in the Oxford Lakes subdivision, prefers to have a view containing natural elements as opposed to more development.
‘When you’re raised in that sort of environment where you can walk out your back door and see woods . . . it refreshes your soul,? he said.
Fry said the only reason he was able to ‘survive? when he moved to this area was because he found Lake Orion, where he lived for 40 years prior to Oxford. It offered him a ‘rural feel? that ‘felt like home.?
‘Part of the struggle you as (a planning commission) have is maintaining that soul of the community, that feeling of the small town, even though the world is expanding around you,? Fry said. ‘I’d encourage you to try to keep that in your mind when you’re dealing with issues like this.?
Fry expressed his concern about Round Lake and the nearby wetlands potentially being polluted by stormwater runoff from this proposed development.
‘You can talk all you want to about treating that water. You do not treat (for) fertilizer. You do not treat (for) road salt,? he said. ‘It will accumulate. We might not see the impact of it, but it will be there.?
Jeff Arkles, a resident of Thornehill Trail, also expressed concern about the possibility of Round Lake being contaminated because it’s so small.
‘It’s almost like a big pond,? he said.
Arkles told the commission ‘it wouldn’t take much? to ‘destroy the whole ecosystem.?
‘If that happens, good-bye Scripter Park,? he said. ‘Who’s coming to the park with no lake to swim in??
Roberto Lopez, a resident of Thornehill Trail, is worried the proposed development will cause surrounding property values to drop.
‘This will not enhance the property that’s in our subdivision,? he said. ‘It will hurt them.?
Lopez would like to see the 98 S. Glaspie St. site converted into parkland.
‘That’s what we should be doing,? he told the commission. ‘We need more recreational area, not less.?
He called the idea of constructing a three-story building on the site ‘absurd.?
‘It makes no sense,? Lopez said.
Lopez implored commissioners to think long and hard when making their decision regarding this proposed development.
‘When it comes time to vote, I hope you have common sense and the well-being of the community in mind,? he said.
Bill Lane, a resident of Oxford Lake Drive, asked if this high-density development is approved by the village, what’s to prevent the owners of other vacant properties along S. Glaspie St. from ‘doing the exact same thing??
In response, Khorey explained, ‘Anyone in the village can ask for a rezoning of anything. Nobody is stopping anybody from coming in and asking for a rezoning.?
‘That doesn’t mean it’s going to be approved,? he continued. ‘Just like there’s no guarantee that (the proposal for) 98 Glaspie will be approved.?
Khorey also noted that ‘legally, PUDs are not precedent-setting.?
‘We take them on a case-by-case basis when they’re proposed,? he said.