Planning Commission Debates Blossom Ridge Rezoning Request

More than 100 residents packed during Tuesday evening's to hear discussion on the rezoning of the northwest corner of Adams and Dutton roads for the purpose of building , a continuing care senior living community proposed by Moceri Companies.

The Planning Commission, which can vote to either recommend or not recommend the rezoning request to the Oakland Township Board of Trustees, did not vote on the rezoning request during the meeting.

Moceri presents his proposal

Dominic Moceri, who on roughly 42 acres on the corner, said the location is the only site in the township that can support this project.

"It is the only site in the township recommended for senior housing" because it already has sewer and water infrastructure, he said.

“It’s the only location that has these services available. The other locations are at least two decades away.”

During the meeting, Moceri addressed by citing information from the official Blossom Ridge proposal.

Moceri and representatives from Donald C. Westphal Associates, LLC, highlighted the following information from the Blossom Ridge proposal:

• Senior housing is available in Auburn Hills, Rochester, Rochester Hills and Oxford Township, but not in Oakland Township. With Blossom Ridge, almost 7 percent of the senior population in the township would be served.
• The number of seniors in the township is increasing and will continue to increase in Oakland Township. SEMCOG data shows that the population of seniors 65 years and older will increase by 109 percent between 2010 and 2035 while the percentage of seniors living alone will increase by 222 percent between 2010 and 2035.
• Blossom Ridge will have roughly 46 percent open space compared to 24 percent in a regular single-family development.
• Blossom Ridge will have 8.39 persons per acre, whereas a single-family subdivision would have 6.18 persons per acre. Meanwhile, a high-density conservation development would have up to 11.56 persons per acre.
• Blossom Ridge will have less square footage than any other kind of development.
• Sections 30-32 in the southwest corner of the township, which includes the Blossom Ridge site, make up 8 percent of the land, but 32 percent of the township's households are in these three sections. Thus, the area is not truly rural.
• A traffic study shows that individuals coming and going from Blossom Ridge will generate far fewer trips during peak time than the other types of development, and there would be no change in the level of service rating in either the morning or the evening. Moceri added that the delay at peak hour will be increased by 1.5 seconds.
• Blossom Ridge is no bigger than the township's , which is 450 feet in length and taller than the proposed main building.
• The east half of the main building will only be two stories and will be set back 220 feet from Adams Road. 
• With landscaping and the construction of 8- to 12-foot berms, the building will likely not be visible from the road.

"We don’t want to be too late in the game to where the current demographic that needs the senior housing ... misses that opportunity," Moceri said.

The Planning Commission deliberates

Members of the Planning Commission agreed during the meeting that there is a need for senior housing in Oakland Township.

"Seniors 55 and older are recognized as a class with rights, and you have to respect and honor those rights as a class," Commissioner James Carter said. "We certainly have to comply with all state and federal laws."

He added, “We recognize that demographic is growing and recognize their needs are different for that demographic than what otherwise might be found in the township."

“We’ve lost some good people that have a lot to give in their senior years because they have nowhere to go in the township," Commissioner Barbara Wolak said. "Our township should be serving the needs of infants on up until you’re no longer on this earth, and we’re not doing that right now."

Commissioner and Trustee Marc Edwards pointed out that the Blossom Ridge site is intended for high density use.

"The history of this part of the township is that it was going to be annexed by Auburn Hills," Edwards said, "and (former Supervisor) Joan Buser fought it off by putting sewer and water in that part of the township."

Still, members of the planning commission noted that they have much deliberation to do before any recommendation is made regarding the rezoning request. During the meeting, the commissioners spent more than two hours discussing traffic concerns, density, visual impact and other potential issues.

“While I appreciate the efforts of the applicant to boil down (the facts)," Carter said, "it is our responsibility to not take that at face value and look into it.”

He added, "While many in the audience may not believe this, I think we’re a difficult township for a developer to develop anything in."

Residents speak up

Though nearly half of the audience had left by the time public comment began almost three hours into the meeting Tuesday evening, several still took to the podium to express their concerns over the project.

"You must balance the need of all residents and the desires of the developer, and it’s never easy," Oakland Township resident Bob Sirna said to the Planning Commission. "This development as proposed should not be approved by your commission."

Sirna, who helped organize the newly-formed group Residents for Responsible Growth in Oakland Township, said he has major concerns about the density, increased traffic and the overall size of the property being out of character with the rest of the township.

"I recommend that if the developer doesn't substantially revise the plan ... that you should reject it as being inappropriate under the guidelines of our Master Plan."

Oakland Township resident John Markel also pointed out traffic as a concern, saying that the township should consider school traffic in its own assessment.

"Coming out of there, trying to make a lefthand turn delay, a one-second delay would probably set me back three minutes," Oakland Township resident Dean Watson said.

Oakland Township resident Craig Blust agreed, saying, "There is a 34 percent traffic increase in a 24-hour period in this proposal." He added that the commission should stick to the 3-5 dwellings per acre recommended in the Master Plan.

The Planning Commission is scheduled to meet again at 7 p.m. on Dec. 6, though it is not yet known if the Blossom Ridge rezoning request will be on the agenda.