By Jim Newell
Review Editor
ORION TWP. — The Orion Township Board of Trustees approved two proposed developments, one on Clarkston Road and the other on the Baldwin Road corridor, during its meeting on Monday.
The board unanimously approved the Ridgewood final Planned Unit Development (PUD) and rezone map amendment agreement, changing the zoning from single-family residential to PUD for the Clarkston Road residential development.
The board also approved the Baldwin Village mixed-use development final PUD and rezone map amendment agreement. The development is in the northwest corner of Morgan and Baldwin roads.
Ridgewood
The Ridgewood approval came after a planning commission recommendation during the commission’s March 15 meeting and includes developing three vacant parcels, one at 625 W. Clarkston Rd. and the other two are immediately east and west of that parcel, according to board documents.
The plan includes 30 units of 1,802 square feet per unit in 15 buildings on a total of 11.38 acres on the south side of Clarkston Road between Hemingway Road and Walloon Way.
The development will be built on 10.35 acres of the property, a density of 2.64 units per acre, which is consistent with their Zoning Ordinance, compatible with the adjacent uses which are single-family residential and this provides for 15 duplexes of 1-story buildings, according to planning documents.
The development was originally presented at a higher density than the township zoning guidelines but the developer came back with a new plan for a condo development, said Orion Township Supervisor Chris Barnett, adding that the development “clustered” the units closer together to preserve more open space and setbacks from existing residential areas around the development.
“This is one of the developments that originally came in as more dense than they took the feedback they received from the meetings and came back with duplexes now,” Barnett said. “The challenge we do have is that people have the right to develop their property and this (a PUD) is a tool that they do have.”
The board had previously held a public hearing on the proposed Ridgewood development in March.
Trustee Matt Pfeiffer said he was relieved that there were no additional residences added to the plan, which has the same number of units whether it was single-family or condos. “I just want to make sure that people understand that it’s no additional residences with this change.”
Residents who spoke during public comment had concerns about the development, many citing the density of the development and concerns about the wildlife wetlands in the undeveloped area.
Resident Tom Williams told the board that he has three properties on Hemingway Road and hopes board members would reconsider changing the zoning.
“Do you have to change the zoning for that area? Everywhere around there as far as you can see is single-family homes. I don’t really see any real good purpose for changing the zoning there,” Williams said. “There’s really no benefit to the community and obviously there’s really no benefit to the people that live there because it brings in more traffic, more delays. It makes it worse for us that live right there in the area.”
Planning documents stated that the “impact on traffic has been mitigated with the provision for a center lane or a passing lane on Clarkston Rd.” and “there is a protection of the natural environment with the 2-acres of wetland and 67 percent of the site is designated to some form of open space.”
“When people propose developments, the neighbors who live around there aren’t happy with it,” Barnett said.
Baldwin Village
The property under development is at 4410 and 4408 S. Baldwin Road on the northwest corner of Morgan and Baldwin roads. It was rezoned from single-family residential (R-1), Suburban Farms (SF) and Brown Road Innovation Zone (BIZ) to Planned Unit Development (PUD).
The planning commission previously recommended the rezoning request and approved the concept plan April 20, 2022.
The site is 58 acres and will have a variety of residential, retail, restaurants and office uses, according to planning documents in the board packet.
“The protection of the natural environment is identified with the retention of the protected wetlands and the 20 percent of the open space and buffering adjoining the properties with open space and landscaping within the parking areas,” the township planner’s report stated.
Residents who spoke at the meeting were concerned about the increased density and noise since the development is next to an existing neighborhood, and the increased traffic from a multi-unit development.
“Anywhere in this township that you see a piece of private property it’s going to be developed,” said Trustee Mike Flood. “I can guarantee that all that property on the east side of Baldwin Road that is vacant right now will be developed. What I don’t want to see is strip malls all the way down Baldwin Road like Dixie Highway or Telegraph Road.”
Barnett said the township has been working as best as it can for residents in the area, adding that the previous proposed developments in that area included a mining and fill operation, hotels and commercial development, all of which the township turned down.
Those developments would have had a higher traffic volume than the current development plan, he said.
“We pushed back on those things. By far, in my opinion, this is the best (proposal) we’ve seen,” Barnett said. “When the (Baldwin) road was rebuilt and redesigned it was with this development in mind.”
Pfeiffer said his family built a home in the Keatington subdivision in 1967 and at that time residents in the area did not want the Keatington development.
“Development is coming regardless and the best we can do is control it,” Pfeiffer said. “Nobody is happy with things being built next to them.”