Northfield Neighbors
Your Homegrown, Pro-Democracy Activists
“By the People, For the People”
This is who we are.
• We are a loosely-knit group of your neighbors dedicated to defending the democratic process and our quality of life.
• We support the township Master Plan, the most democratic document we have – By the People, For the People.
- We favor reasonable growth in areas that have infrastructure.
- We oppose extending sewers into rural areas.
- We oppose changes to our Master Plan without significant public input, and never to accommodate an out-of-town developer.
This is what we accomplished.
Fact, not fiction.
- Opponents claim Northfield Neighbors is “anti-growth”. Not true.
These are the projects we approved while in office (2004-2008):
- Meijers was granted preliminary site plan approval.
- Tractor Supply was approved & opened.
- East Meadows Housing Project -Main & Ash Sts- homes built/sold.
- The $2.5M DogHouse on N. Territorial, built & opened.
- New family medical practice on Main Street, built & opened.
- 80% of all applications to the Planning Commission – approved!
- Additional accomplishments:
- Saved our treasury - from $500k in the RED to $1M in the BLACK.
- No new taxes were heaped on our residents – first time in memory.
- Fought and won the lawsuit brought by Grand/Sakwa - supporting the residents’ 2004 referendum vote.
- Showed backbone protecting our homes and our community.
- Helped block a DDA scheme to spend $28 million on a grandiose Territorial Road Bridge. How right was that? MDOT now plans to use Federal funds to rebuild the Territorial Road Bridge and the 6 Mile Road bridge and the 8 Mile Road bridge - for half of that, only $14 million.
Northfield Neighbors
More accomplishments we’re proud of:
Protected Your Investment
- Required that taxpayers be alerted before any big borrowing is done.
- Stopped our DDA scheme to borrow $28 million for expanding the US23 & N. Territorial bridge to eight lanes.
Eliminated Lawsuits
- Grand/Sakwa $30M suit tossed out by judge.
- Vastly reduced case load inherited in 2004. Won or settled every suit.
Services – Getting more for less.
- Expanded Fire/Rescue to 24/7; faster response times but no extra cost.
- Instituted job-sharing among all support staff for greater efficiency.
- Improved revenue collection procedures – collected higher % of taxes.
- Started newsletter mailed with your tax bills - no added mailing costs.
- Contracted for zoning administration - thousands saved every year.
- Full-time bookkeeper out ; part-time Controller in – thousands saved.
- Improved insurance coverage for employees at $50,000 less/year.
Balanced Preservation & Growth:
- Adopted an Open Space Ordinance allowing developers significant housing density bonus in they preserve 70% of land as “dedicated” open space.
- 195 acres saved from development, more than $1 million to our community - helping farm families keep their land by selling their “development rights”.
- Rewrote the Master Plan to curb sprawl by directing smart, low-impact growth to appropriate areas. Big public participation in the process.
- Updated the Parks and Recreation Plan.
- Adopted a Noise Ordinance with teeth.
- Adopt lighting standards to improve safety and limit light pollution.
- Resurrected State of Michigan DOT study for US23 improvements.
- Spearheaded a coalition to promote Rail Commuter service through Northfield.
Northfield Neighbors – Serving our Residents
with Business Smarts & Common Sense
- This information source is edited by two of your neighbors, Jim Nelson and David Gordon
Jim Nelson
