Township to vote on unpopular development plan

ELMWOOD TOWNSHIP (January 5, 2001) - Residents in Leelanau County's Elmwood Township continue to oppose plans for a 138-acre site condominium project, saying that the proposed development would ignore years of planning, would degrade the community's quality of life, and would lead to higher taxes for township and county residents.

The Steward Investment Group of Traverse City appears before the Elmwood Township Board at 7pm, Monday, January 8, seeking final approval for its efforts to develop the 138-acre "Lincoln Meadows" project in the southwestern corner of the township. The development is planned for the former Bugai farm at the corner of Bugai and Lincoln Roads; residents have fought the plans that were first introduced in March 2000.

"Every thorough land-use study in the nation demonstrates that developments like this inevitably raise our taxes, stress our roads, crowd our schools and forever destroy our farmlands," said Jim Ganter, a long-time Elmwood Township resident and former planning commission member who opposes the development.

"Without public input on Monday, this plan will probably be approved. We have to stand up," he said.

During the past decade, Leelanau County and county townships have been refining their master plans. Such plans are implemented to create regions for specific land use and are used to define long-term zoning strategies and project future needs. For example, agricultural areas do not require expensive infrastructure investments in sewer, water and highways and are& usually further away from these systems; developments, however, are most efficiently located closer to urban centers where roads and utilities are readily available.

The Steward Group proposal, say opponents, does not make sense for its location -- in the middle of rolling farm fields. The Steward Group operates mobile home parks throughout the state. Jack Armstrong, agent for Steward Group, is an investor in manufactured-home enterprise in southern Michigan.

The Elmwood Township Citizens for Sensible Growth identifies key points in its opposition:

• The proposed development would negate years of planning work and public input;
• The location is rural agriculture and not appropriate for a large housing development
• Increased traffic will further endanger drivers at the intersection of Bugai Road and M-72;
• The location and development plans are contrary to multi-agency and public efforts to create a comprehensive regional plan;
• Studies show that such developments put pressure on existing infrastructure and will require significant investment and support by the community, invariably resulting in higher taxes. National studies show that for every dollar raised by subdivision, site condo and other developments, the community incurs $1.58 in costs;
• Public and private entities, including the state, are actively pursuing methods to preserve farmland in the region and offer farmers economic incentives for land preservation;
• If this project is approved, it creates a precedent for further sprawling development in the Township.

"This isn't a case of 'Not in my backyard,' said Jeff Howell, another township resident who opposes the project. Howell is also a former member of the Elmwood Township Planning Commission. "Instead, it's a situation where the majority of the township and county has already voiced its opinion through public participation in the planning process. And that planning process is designed to chart the look and feel of the community for generations to come."

"It's also an issue of taxes, safety and infrastructure," Ganter added. "This kind of development invariably raises taxes to pay for fire trucks, bigger schools, more school busing, bigger roads and such things as sewer and water systems. Those are the economic facts. This kind of haphazard development is expensive to the community."

The Site Condominium Act, under which the development is proposed, is a legal method of circumventing the Michigan Subdivision Control Act. The Act brings decision-making to the most local level and removes the need to meet& specific state standards. "That's why it's so important that the public be involved and let their voices be heard," Howell said.

"At a time when farmland loss, community values and planning issues have all reached a high level of discussion in the region, it's ironic that we are even considering this kind of development at all," he said.

"Unless people make their voices heard at this meeting Monday night, we will be cursed with sprawl as usual. And, as usual, we will be forced to pay in our taxes, our safety and our quality of life."

The meeting is set for 7:00 pm at the Elmwood Township Hall, 10090 Lincoln Road.