The Addison Township Board of Trustees voted at their last regular meeting to accept the planning commission’s recommendation of rezoning a parcel owned by Dr. Roger and Nancy Murray from 10-acre agricultural to 5-acre rural estates.
The 163-acre parcel is bordered on the north side by Lakeville Rd. and the west side by Lake George Rd. The Murrays originally requested for the property to be rezoned to 2-acre suburban farms so that 68 one-acre single-family housing sites could be developed there while maintaining the environmental stability of the area.
‘They spot zoned me rural residential,? said Dr. Murray, ‘and I’m the only one in that area zoned that way.?
Murray, who has been developing properties in Addison Township for over 25 years and is known for his Piney Hill and Piney Oaks developments, said he has spent years designing his development plan. The new development would be done in stages, taking between 10 and 12 years to complete, and would make use of the Advantex water treatment system. In fact, many residents have come forward to voice their approval of the development at both public hearings and township board meetings.
‘I’m not a fly by the night developer,? said Murray. ‘I know what I do and I do it well. No one knows my land as well as I do.?
However, several township officials have made the statement that the proposal before them was not for Dr. Murray’s development plan, but for a rezoning.
‘Dr. Murray is a great developer,? said Ed Brakefield, a member of both the planning commission and a trustee on the township board, ‘but that’s not what he’s asking for. This was a rezoning issue, not a development issue.?
The Addison Township planning commission began considering Murray’s rezoning request in November of 2002. When looking at the issue, commissioners used a 12 point list of standards to determine what zoning was needed. They then had the option to recommend approving the rezoning request, approving a rezoning at a lesser density or denying the rezoning. The commission made a recommendation to the township board for a 5-acre rezoning that is consistent with the master plan.
However board trustees felt that the proposal needed further consideration and sent the issue back to the planning commission. In the end, the planning commission voted four to two to send the same recommendation forward, and the township board accepted the recommendation.
Two of the main issues debated throughout the entire process were whether or not the property met with the planning commission’s master plan and whether or not the land could be developed at a lesser density. For Brakefield, the two issues are tied together by economics.
‘I was not satisfied that he would not see a financial gain,? said Brakefield. ‘I could not understand how he could not meet it financially with the five-acre zoning.?
Brakefield also felt that these questions were not answered adequately by the rezoning proposal. He said if he had been shown some numbers for why the 5-acre zoning was not financially possible, his considerations may have changed.
Dr. Murray said that he did have proposals drawn up for both 3 and 5-acre developments and that he did present those to the board, although they were not turned into the planning commission and did not include numbers. He also explained that he was not aware the township could rezone him at a level other than the one he requested.
‘When the planning commission recommended it, it was the first time I’d ever heard of it,? said Murray.
Dr. Murray believes the zoning imposed upon him by the township, although consistent with the planning commission’s master plan, is not consistent with the current zoning in the area. Currently, there are large areas of 2-acre suburban farm zoning around the property and the Copper Hills Golf Course has a consent judgement to include a similar development on the agriculturally zoned property.
This reporter attempted to contact the township’s planner Rand Bowman for clarification on how the current zoning and the planning commission’s master plan work together, but telephone calls were not returned.
Dr. Murray said he is not sure what step he will take next, but his plans for the land remain the same.
‘It’s up to my attorney and planner for where we go next,? he stated. ‘I’ve never had this happen to me before, so I don’t know what to do.?