Meeting Highlights:

The Township Legal Counsel has requested, through McKenna Associates, a formal written legal opinion describing and prescribing the process which must be followed to properly consider the 2014 request by Biltmore.   If a public hearing is required or if the legal opinion cannot be issued in time, the June 29th Special Meeting will be cancelled.

At this meeting, the Living Water Lutheran Church Conditional Use and Site Plan for their new Barker Road location were approved.  Revised plans for building the parking lot led our Township Engineers to reverse their objections and recommend approval.  Permeable parking surfaces reduced runoff to the point that the planned detention pond would be sufficient. 

You may remember that the advantages of permeable parking surfaces were loudly derided during a previous Township administration when it was suggested that the Meijer's project use them to reduce the volume of runoff into the Horseshoe Lake watershed.

The effect of market forces on the development of Downtown Whitmore Lake was weighed against the Township's vision during the PC's Goals and Objectives Agenda item.  Interesting perspectives were provided by both Planner Sally Hodges and Township Manager Fink.   The regulatory burden inhibiting downtown Business property improvement was described.  A 5% change or addition requires full engineering and a Planning Commission review, a possible $10,000 expense.  Fink has mentioned these regulations before.

[Meeting Documents]

(Kudos to the Planning Commission - the Packet is a work of PDF art)

 

Nixon Road Farming Courant Style pic3 965w177h

Nixon Road, North of Dhu Varren, July 14, 2016:  A Gary Wellings Farmland Dreamscape