Oxford Village officials made it clear last week they firmly support the township’s current zoning of the Koenig Sand and Gravel property and are opposed to the current proposal to build 2,500 homes there.
‘The density is way too high for this community,? said Councilman Tom Benner. ‘The density, I think, is completely out of the question. I would not be in favor of any type of development like that.?
Council voted 5-0 to approve a non-binding resolution in support of the township’s existing zoning of the nearly 1,200-acre Koenig property along Lakeville Road.
Right now, a little more than 1,000 acres is zoned Suburban Farms 2 (SF-2), which requires a minimum lot size of 5 acres for each residential unit.
The remaining 157 acres to the northwest is currently zoned Centeral Area Development, but will become R-2 Single Family (minimum lot sizes of 25,000 square feet) when the township approves its new zoning ordinance.
Springwood Park LLC has requested a conditional rezoning from the township that would allow it to build a maximum of 2,500 residential units, no more than 1,000 of which would be attached units such as townhouses and condos.
‘The density is well beyond what the people of Oxford and the village can fathom,? said township Planning Commissioner Jack Curtis.
Curtis, a 34-year resident of Oxford, attended the Feb. 27 council meeting and requested village officials take some sort of stance on the issue, so the developer can’t use the threat of annexation by the village to play the two municipalities off each other.
‘Many of the constituents in the township are asking for a village stance on this rezoning,? he said. ‘One of the biggest concerns is if (they) go ask mom and she says no, (they’ll) go ask dad (and) he might say yes.?
The township was originally supposed to hold a March 22 public hearing on the proposed rezoning, but the developer requested it be postponed. No new date has been scheduled.
Although Curtis made it clear that he cannot as a planning commissioner take a position regarding the proposed rezoning until after a public hearing has been held, he did tell council, ‘It’s our opinion that this rezoning, if it were to be approved, would hinder the village probably worse than most of the township.?
‘I can’t tell you to say, ‘No, we don’t want it,?? Curtis explained. ‘It has to come from you to tell us if you’ll support the township’s position on the rezoning decision.?
Councilman Benner expressed his concern over the increased volume of traffic another 2,500 homes would generate.
‘M-24 and Lakeville Road cannot handle another 5,000 or 6,000 cars, with two cars per household,? he said. ‘I would think that probably 80 percent of traffic from that development would come into the village and down M-24.?
‘The traffic condition either way it goes (be it a township or village development) would make M-24 look like a shopping center on Christmas Eve,? Benner noted.
‘I have a lot of concerns about a development like this in our community,? he explained. ‘Yes, the taxes would be nice for either community, but I think at this point in time, in my opinion, we have to look at the traffic flow on M-24 (and) Lakeville Road.?
Benner also expressed his concern that if the development were allowed to build its own waste water treatment facility, as has been suggested, where it’s located could endanger the nearby village well water.
‘I would be very skeptical about approving a site plan if they came to the village for something like this,? he said.
Regarding the developer’s promise to donate land for a new fire station, school, senior center, etc., Benner noted the taxpayers would still be responsible for building the facilities.
‘I don’t think at this particular time the taxpayers of the village and the township need to builld another fire hall, need to build another school (and) buy bunch of school buses,? he said.
Village President George Del Vigna shared Benner’s concern about the possibility of contaminating the village water supply.
‘You’re right next to our watershed,? he said. ‘That will affect our water. We’re very proud of our water and we don’t want anything to get close to damaging it.?
Councilman Chris Bishop, who made the motion to support Koenig’s current zoning, said he attended the Jan. 11 township planning commission meeting and everyone in attendance who spoke was opposed to the 2,500-unit rezoning proposal.
‘I didn’t hear anybody at that meeting that had a problem with the 5-acre Suburban Farms zoning,? he said. ‘There seemed to be a lot of people that had a problem with what’s proposed here ? both village and township residents.?