A group of concerned residents have stepped forward to voice their concerns on a rezoning proposal currently before the Addison Township planning commission.
Lakeville Lake Property Owners Association President John Elsarelli attended the June 10 planning commission meeting in order to present the organization’s viewpoint on the proposed rezoning of Pat and Glenn Eisenhardt’s 54-acre lakeside property, located on the southwest corner of Rochester Rd. and Army Rd. The proposal would change the parcel from suburban farm, or 2-acres, to R-1 or 1-acre.
During the meeting, Elsarelli read a formal letter to the planning commission including this introduction:
‘On May 27, 2003, at a regular meeting of the Lakeville Lake Property Owners Association, the board unanimously voted to oppose the request for rezoning.?
The letter stated several reasons for the decision:
n The property is located contiguous to Lakeville Lake. The smaller density zoning could adversely effect the waters of the lake in regards to runoff from developments, additional sewage disposal systems, additional crowding of boat traffic and general lake preservation concerns.
n Ordinance 200, Article 13 states that in order to maintain the lake, ‘no increase in density beyond one dwelling unit per two acres in he area subject to this lake lot overlay district shall be considered without documentation in the form of an environmental impact statement showing that such decision will not adversely affect the quality of any lake water.?
n The new master plan identifies that the existing developed areas were platted at a higher density than is currently recommended and the further such expansion could severely impact the surface water quality.
n The township has stated in the past, and continues to do so, that low density development is desirable. In fact, the township and township officials have fought in several instances to maintain the rural character.
‘We believe that Lakeville Lake is one of Addison Township’s most valuable and fragile assets and it should be preserved and protected as such,? read Elsarelli to the commission. ‘With consideration to the foregoing, the Lakeville Lake Property Owners Association respectfully requests this matter of rezoning to be denied.?
The association has approximately 209 property owners as members. The representative board is composed of nine individuals elected at large from the membership. The group is the first to give a formal opinion with concerns about the rezoning not related to issues of possible contamination.
At previous planning commission meetings, including a pubic hearing on the proposal, several residents have come forward to voice their concerns about possible contamination on the property due to dumping that occurred for years there. The Eisenhardt’s have had testing done on Lakeville Lake’s surface water, private wells surrounding the property and several items, including some waster barrels, found on the property. The couple have also taken numerous steps to clean up the area, which had been listed as a 307 site, including working with the Department of Natural Resources to create a remediation plan that was enacted and completed. The site was removed from the contamination listing.
‘I have no problem with testing,? said Pat Eisenhardt during the last planning commission meeting. ‘I can’t sell any portion of the property without testing.?
In the end, Pat Eisenhardt requested for the proposal to be tabled until next month. During this time, township attorney Robert Davis will be confirming once again the parcel’s true history, and a review will be done of Ordinance 200, Article 13, concerning the Lake Lot Overlay District. An opinion will be brought back to the commission whether or not an environmental impact statement is needed.