Preliminary PUD approval granted for 52 condos

Oxford Twp. is one step closer to seeing 52 condominiums added to its tax base.
Officials voted 7-0 to grant preliminary approval for a Planned Unit Development (PUD) that would complete the Hills of Oxford condo community located at M-24 and Indian Lake Rd.
Preliminary approval is contingent on the applicant satisfying concerns raised in plan review letters from the township planner, engineer and attorney along with the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department and Oxford Fire Department.
The Bloomfield Hills-based Robertson Brothers Homes is planning to construct 52 detached condominiums on the 26.81-acre site.
‘We’ll go as fast as we can get municipal approvals,? said James V. Clarke, president of Robertson Brothers Homes. ‘If the township’s willing, we would try to start a model this year and do a small phase of land development.?
Clarke noted his company is already receiving phone calls from potential buyers who learned about the Hills of Oxford project on the Robertson Brothers website.
‘There is interest if it gets approved,? he told the board.
Plans call for constructing 45 ranch-style units that are 1,636 square feet in size and seven one-and-a-half story units that are 1,944 square feet each. Each would have a two-vehicle garage and full basement.
Originally, the plan called for 53 condos, but one unit was eliminated, based on township plan reviews, to create more room between the condos in one area of the development and allow for a T-turnaround for fire trucks.
Combined with the existing 58 attached units that are spread out amongst five multifamily buildings, the Hills of Oxford would consist of 110 attached and detached condos should this proposed expansion receive final PUD approval from the township board.
That’s much less than the 204 attached units the township originally approved for the site back in December 2003.
Adding 52 residential units would give the township a big boost when it comes to paying off its water system’s bond debt of approximately $13 million.
The township would receive $315,900 in one-time tap fees associated with connecting to the municipal water system, plus an additional $9,360 per year in debt service charges.
Each condo owner would pay $180 annually in debt service charges.