Opinions flowed freely last week as the Oxford Twp. Planning Commission and members of the public discussed the meaning of the ‘village look? and whether developments along M-24, north of the village, would be required to conform to it.
For Commissioner Kallie Roesner, the village look is about the community having ‘its own identity, not just the identity of each particular store that goes in.?
‘I see it as having the identity of the town more so than the identity of the building,? she said. ‘Not a white box or a brown box, but something that looks like Oxford.?
But not everyone favored the village look.
‘Who cares? As long as there are stores,? said resident Jan Overley. ‘The majority of people in this community do not want a village look. They want some decent, everyday, family shopping, where we can go in and get out.?
The discussion was prompted by the 97,423-square-foot Kohl’s department store planned as part of the proposed Oxford North shopping Center, just north of the village, on the east side of M-24.
At its December meeting, planning commissioners repeatedly emphasized to Kohl’s representatives how they would like the new store to have a ‘village look? as opposed to a big box and they used Meijer’s storefront as an example.
‘I think it’s ugly,? said resident Helen Smith, referring to the Meijer. ‘I don’t particularly like the village look out there . . . Out there, you’re out in the township and I don’t think you stay with the downtown village look.?
Roesner defended the Meijer. ‘The people I talk to like our Meijer,? she said, noting she had a Brighton resident visit her over the holidays and she loved the Oxford Meijer’s look, which resembles a row of small storefronts, as opposed to the store’s standard facade in her community.
Overley noted the idea of requiring developers to use ‘false architecture? is ‘absolutely ludicrous.?
‘A village develops over decades with a mix of styles,? she explained. ‘That’s where you get the variation in elevations. It’s not a fake thing that’s done within a 10-year span or (by) forcing every business that wants to come in here to look the same, to look like a little village.?
Commissioner Tom Berger emphasized that the village look to him is more than just architecture, it’s about using lighting, landscaping, open areas and sidewalks to create an atmosphere that feels ‘comfortable? as people leave the village and enter the township.
‘I think people sometimes think of a village look strictly as buildings,? he said. ‘I don’t look at it that way.?
George Black, who’s served on the planning commission for approximately 30 years, said there’s nothing wrong with asking developers to do something different for Oxford.
‘If you don’t ask developers, you will never get,? he said. ‘You can work with developers, but you have to ask otherwise they’re going to put a rubberstamp in your backyard. It never hurts to ask. In this instance and from hereon in, we will ask a lot.?
Township planner Don Wortman, of the Ann Arbor-based Carlisle/Wortman and Associates, noted that because this Kohl’s is part of a proposed Planned Unit Development, the planning commission has ‘every right to ask for higher quality architectural standards, appearance, aesthetics, etc.?
‘I think we should be choosey,? said resident Cecilia Hosner, who noted she likes the way Plymouth, Novi and Milford developed with lots of shopping, restaurants and the ability for people to walk everywhere or sit on a bench and enjoy a coffee. ‘I think that’s what you wanted here to begin with and I’m all for that.?
Resident Carolyn Lueders said the village look isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
‘When you say you want it to look like a village, I look at the village and I think there’s a lot in there that doesn’t look very good so that’s not a good description,? she said. ‘I love the village but you can’t say that it’s really absolutely wonderful. It could be better, too.?
Commissioner Jack Curtis said the ‘village look? is not really the best term to describe what he thinks the planning commission is trying to achieve.
‘I don’t think we want to put telephone poles in our parking lots,? he said. ‘I don’t think we want an abandoned lumber yard. I don’t think we want that.?
Curtis said he’s more interested in working with developers to ‘move forward? and get the best look that ‘blends in with our rural atmosphere,? but ‘without a stigma of a village look.?
‘Our job is to work with those developers and then get the best things we can get for our community out of it,? he said. ‘When we work with developers, we can normally get things that better our community.?
Curtis noted about three years ago somebody from the Downtown Development Authority asked the planning commission ‘to blend our township with the village.?
‘I don’t think we really want to do that,? he said. ‘I think we want to make the best out of the developments we can get to come here ? to make them fit into Oxford for our future, for our children’s future and for the betterment of the community.?
Even though Commission Chairman Don Silvester was trying to keep the discussion focused on the idea of the ‘village look,? not Kohl’s, some residents expressed their opinions about the store coming to Oxford.
‘I’m not in to instant gratification so I don’t care if Kohl’s comes or not,? Hosner said.
‘I haven’t heard one person say we don’t want Kohl’s,? Lueders said. ‘They’re excited about getting a store like that. It’s a good store.?
Lueders noted the community’s changed a lot since she moved here in 1974, ‘but I still love it.?
‘And I would love it more that as I get older and older, I could go to Kohl’s and it would be nearby,? she said.
Overley stressed that Oxford desperately needs shopping.
‘During the weekends, it’s a mass exodus out of this community to shop elsewhere because you people have not provided decent shopping for the residents,? she said. ‘You keep building more and more subdivisions without providing for everyday necessities.?
‘Everybody’s driving out of town to other communities (to shop) and they are getting the tax base and they’re getting our money. Besides, with gas prices, I’d like to be a little closer myself,? Smith said. ‘Everyone I talked to ? they want Kohl’s.?
Hosner offered a different perspective.
‘The problem is the people of Oxford want everything for free,? she said. In her opinion, this is why more local people don’t shop the downtown stores like she does.
Resident Mindy Denninger, who identified herself as a ‘Kohl’s shopper,? said she works full-time and doesn’t like having to drive so far to shop.
She urged the planning commission to work with Kohl’s ‘to get the very best of what they offer within the constraints of their corporation.?
‘They’re not going to do exactly what Oxford wants them to do,? but ‘I have a feeling there’s some wiggle room there,? Denninger said.
‘This planning commisison isn’t turning developers away, we’re working with developers, but we’re trying to get a better quality building so it doesn’t sit vacant in seven years,? Roesner said. ‘If they want to bring a terrible looking building that in 10 years is going to degrade this community ? that’s not a good thing.?
Roesner stressed the concept of ‘sustainability,? which is the idea of having other businesses be able to reuse a building after it’s vacated.
She said the idea is to have ‘something 15 years from now? that’s ‘still nice, not an abandoned strip or a brown box that has a specific identity to a typical store that nobody else wants to come into.?
‘I’ve seen that in Rochester where they abandon one building because of the old style,? Roesner said.
‘Do you want to come to a community that is a bunch of 100,000-square-foot cement block buildings that will be vacant in 10 years because they’ve moved on?,? Silvester said. ‘Or do you want something that will be able to be reused by the next merchant that comes in.?
‘If it’s so important to people to live next to a store, you need to make that decision coming in,? Roesner noted. ‘But what I want and what my neighbors want and what I’ve been told is to bring the developments in that are quality and that’s what we want to see. We’re certainly not turning them away, but we’d like to see something we’re proud of.?
‘We need the community to look just as good five years from now as it (will) 30 years from now,? Silvester said. ‘I understand things are going to change . . . We’re looking out longer term.?
‘You can’t make decisions for corporations,? according to Overley, who noted architectural and facade decisions are made at the corporate level and periodically changed at company’s discretion.
Planning commissioners noted the main thing that’s needed is input from the public.
‘We can’t do it alone,? said Black, who urged people to take photos of unique stores in other communities and states. ‘If they’ve done it out there, they will do it here.?