Pittsfield Township Board Approves Master Plan

After two years of meetings and consultation with the public, stakeholders and neighboring communities and agencies, the Pittsfield Township Board has its master plan.

The 2010 Master Plan was approved by a 6-0 vote at a special meeting held at noon Wednesday in the township hall. With its freshly approved plan in effect, the board then voted 6-0 to rezone the Costco property from business park to planned unit development. Trustee Andrea Brown Harrison was absent.

Supervisor Mandy Grewal said the document is important to the township’s future.

“It puts forth a vision that will guide our community as we move forward,” Grewal said.

The 277-page document is loaded with maps and text and pictures detailing the township's history, present, and goals for the future. The plan was put together with the leadership of the board of trustees, the planning commission, the parks commission, and the master plan executive committee, which was led by Grewal. More than 50 people served on master plan subcommittees that dealt with transportation and land use, community input, arts and culture, housing, open space, natural features, agriculture, economic development, environmental issues and community infrastructure. Township staff was also credited for its work to produce the document.

When Clerk Allan Israel thanked Grewal for her leadership during the process, she quickly shared the gratitude toward all of the people who served on subcommittees and residents and stakeholders who provided feedback along the way.

The document was tweaked right into July based on feedback the township received.

“It’s evident that a lot of people took time to read it,” said Trustee Gerald Krone.

The new plan builds on previous plans and highlights the relationships between transportation, land use, economic development, agriculture, open spaces, nature preserves and arts and culture.

Grewal said the plan considers and strengthens the existing character of development. Agriculture may be made more viable by expanding the ways in which agriculturally zoned land can be used. A new mixed-use zoning will allow developers to build out parcels to include commercial, industrial and residential in the same project. Pittsfield officials hope this might help preserve open spaces and natural features.

Passing the new master plan paved the way for the long-awaited Costco development, but at least one developer wasn’t happy with the plan. Howard Frehsee, representing Pittsfield 38 Group LLC, said the failure of the board to rezone his land from rural residential to a mixed use constituted a "taking" of his property. The group owns land on the south side of Michigan Avenue between Moon Road and the Saline city limits. He said there is no market for large-lot residential development. He also noted the property’s proximity to the busy auto dealerships and Wal-Mart Superstore, and said the township was missing out on a great opportunity to generate tax revenue.

Grewal said she understood Frehsee’s perspective, but did not believe the township should change its plan.

“You are looking at this property from the micro-perspective as its owner and we are looking at it from the macro-perspective of where it fits in the township’s plan,” Grewal said. “We are trying to strike a balance between development and preservation.”

Trustee Michael Yi said he was uncomfortable with some of document’s references to global warming. He said many people do not believe in global warming and said its inclusion in the document may harm the master plan’s credibility.

The inclusion of arts and culture is a first for a Pittsfield master plan. Grewal said she was hopeful the public art and cultural amenities might help Pittsfield strengthen and develop a distinct identity—often a cited as an issue in a township where residents count themselves residents of Saline, Ann Arbor or Ypsilanti.

To download a copy of the draft masterplan, click here.