By nearly a 3-1 margin, Oakland Township voters rejected a pair of rezoning measures that would have allowed Moceri Co. to proceed with their plans for Harvest Corners.
Harvest Corners, a proposed 708-acre housing development, sits on Clarkston, Stoney Creek and Lake George Roads. It is currently zoned for single-family residential but last August, the board approved rezoning a 37-acre parcel and a 1.95-acre parcel to R-M (multiple) and B-1 (business), respectively.
According to Oakland Township manager Jim Creech, this decision came after more than a year of review by the planning commission and then, in turn, the board.
He says that both bodies indicated in ‘findings of fact? that the plans met the Township ordinance and provisions in the Township’s master plan.
Some members of the public didn’t agree.
‘Three Township residents filed petitions within the referendum period to place the question of the rezonings for the B-1 and R-M on the ballot for an election,? Creech said.
‘The petitions filed were deemed to be adequate by the Township Clerk and an election was scheduled for February 27.?
The group responsible for the petitions, Oakland Citizens for Responsible Growth, says the township’s decision was irresponsible and oblivious to the concerns expressed by the vast majority of residents who live in the area.
Those concerns were heard loud and clear, when voters voted 3 to 1 to overturn the board’s decision to rezone.
‘I am elated,? said Bill Fox, spokesman for OCRG.. ‘The voters voiced their opinion, so hopefully the direction of the township board will take a different course and they will force the developer to come up with a plan that we can live with.?
The parts of the project that were called into question, the R-M and the B-1, would have included townhouses and a small retail development.
Dave Pawlaczyk, Project Manger for Moceri Co., says the company is disappointed with the results of the vote, but even more so, with the misinformation that was circulated in the process.
‘There were outright lies or extensions or twisting of the truth,? he said. ‘Basically, people were told anything to make [this project] into a monster, which it’s not and it’s hard to overcome that, and it was reflected in the vote.?
Pawlaczyk says that while it’s too late to reeducate the public, as the vote is already done, an example of this is that what was supposed to be a little neighborhood general store was given the perception of a huge strip mall.
‘It’s really disappointing,? he said. ‘We tried to be creative with a smart plan that’s very inventive.?
He added that this project would have created jobs for the community.
So what’s next for the project? Well, according to Creech, there is litigation pending towards the township.
While the vote overturned the board’s decision for rezoning, it did not touch the planned unit development that was awarded to Moceri.
‘The planned unit development gives us license to proceed with the project, and that’s the basis for our lawsuit,? said Pawlaczyk.
He says that it is their hope that a judge will say that the planned unit development gives them the go ahead to continue with the project.
Pawlaczyk said there is a motion to intervene, but they will have to wait for it to trickle its way through an overloaded court system, which could take a while.
‘In the meantime, we are in a holding pattern,? he said.
According to Fox, OCRG disagrees with the lawsuit and feels the PUD agreement does not give Moceri the rights to go ahead.
‘This is too bad (about the lawsuit),? he said. ‘It’s been a great deal of time and expense on everyone’s part.?
Fox hopes that the defeat at the polls will force Morceri to reevaluate their plan and to comprise on a new one.
Pawlaczyk says that Moceri has already done this.
‘This is a compromised plan, this plan represents the township.?
Stay with The Review for more on the lawsuit and future of this project.