By David Fleet

Editor

Goodrich

-On Monday night the village planning commission voted 7-0 to rezone about 5.5 acres on the north side of Hegel Road about 600 feet east of M-15 from Low Density Residential—which allows for single family homes to Planned Unit Development designed for a variety of housing development such as condominiums.

Following the planning commission recommendation of the zoning change — a special village council meeting will be at 6 p.m., March 6 to deliberate the issue. The special meeting is paid for by the applicant.

If the council approves the zoning change, a proposed development—Goodrich Haven Senior Living, a single senior housing building with 70 units could be constructed on the property. On Feb. 13 the village council OK’d sufficient sewer units for the project. The complex will be for low income seniors under the guidelines of the Michigan State Housing Development Authority. The complex will feature 16 two-bedroom apartments and 54 one-bedroom apartments. The application to MSHDA is due by April 3.

The MSHDA funded project will be targeted toward low-income senior citizens 62 years and older who are capable of independent living. Unit sizes range from 650-672 square feet for a one bedroom to 883-976 square feet for a two-bedroom. Goodrich Haven Senior Living will also include a senior center and a 16 passenger bus for transportation.

The General Contractors are Troy based M & B Construction and Swartz Creek based Flint Surveying and Engineering.

Jerome Jay Allen, director of Devonshire Advisors, a Rochester Hills company is the project coordinator. He attended the planning commission meeting on Monday night.

Allen responded to traffic concerns on M-15 and Hegel Road questions. Allen emphasized that even with the 70 apartments full the traffic would be less than if it were single family dwellings.

“Statistically a senior development, like the proposed Goodrich Haven, opens with about a third or half of the residents owning cars,” he said. “Within three years it goes (car owners) down to 15 percent (of residents) that own cars. A variable that we don’t know is the number of residents near to 62 years old—thus there could be a few more or less cars to start.”

MSHDA defined a senior as 62 years old and above a requirement enforced by the signed lease.

“MSHDA requires residents must be 62 years old and if a visitor stays for more than two weeks we can pull the lease,” added Allen. “It’s only for seniors. Currently there are about 70 individuals that have expressed interest in the apartments and we’ll have a meeting in April to discuss their concerns. The facility should be full right away—the need is there.”

Flint based Piper Management has been retained to oversee the apartments.

“The MSHDA rules will be enforced,” said Allen. “The apartments will remain senior only—even if the property is sold the owners must uphold the obligations agreed to with the village of Goodrich. Under the Planned Unit Development zoning the municipality has the control and must make agree to any changes.”

The property was purchased about six years ago from the Goodrich United Methodist Church. The development proposes a courtyard type design with about a third of the site to remain in a natural state. Funding for the project comes from the MSHDA who, once the project is approved, will issue Low Income Housing Tax Credits to investors to build the affordable rental housing. The corporations, banking institutions, or individuals then claim a credit against their tax liability annually for a period of 10 years.

Katie Bach, communications director for MSHDA, said when Low Income Housing Tax Credits are issued, it is truly a public-private partnership. “We award credits two times a year and have the overarching authority to monitor for compliance and ensure the management company is renting to qualified people and keeping the property in good physical condition,” she said. “Investors are putting millions of dollars into a project, so they have a vested interest in monitoring for its success. This partnership is a win-win-win for the developer, tenants and community.”

“Affordable housing today is often unfairly compared to the public housing projects from the 1960s and 1970s,” she added. “Those projects were often the product of one-time developers who did not manage or maintain their properties well. Today, our partners focus on best practices and have a solid track record around the state and country for bringing in quality projects and property managers who ensure accountability.”

Bach emphasized that the LIHTC application process provide extra points to developers and sponsors who have experience.

“This helps contribute to quality projects and greater tenant — and community — satisfaction,” she said. “MSHDA is committed to offering safe, decent and affordable housing options for the growing number of seniors around the state who may need a stepping stone between their homes and an assisted living situation.”

The proposal sets aside all of the units for residents earning 30, 40, or 60 percent or less of the Genesee County Area Median Income using the Michigan State Housing Development Authority Low Income Housing Tax Credit.