Proposed Meadow Wood East Site Condominium Development Questions & Answers

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1 Proposed Meadow Wood East Site Condominium Development Questions & Answers 1. Why a condominium rather than a plat? Development under the Condominium Act (Public Act 59 of 1978) is a far less cumbersome process than development through the platting process because condominiums do not require approval by the State of Michigan. At the municipal level, the process for approving plats is very similar to the process for approving a condominium development. In both cases, review and recommendation by the Planning Commission is required prior to approval by the City Council. Condominiums are a form of ownership rather than a type of development. The only real difference is the way in which the ownership of the land is recorded through the County Register of Deeds. Development under the platted subdivision approach and the condominium approach are simply two different statutory methods of achieving the same practical and legal result of dividing real estate into separate residential building sites. No public protections are sacrificed by utilizing the site condominium approach versus the platting approach and, under the City of Grand Ledge Zoning Ordinance, both types of development must adhere to the exact same development standards. This includes, but is not limited to, minimum lot size, building setback requirements, and standards for infrastructure improvements. 2. Why is this being discussed at a City Council meeting? Will the proposed build be put to a City-wide vote? For site condominium developments, the City of Grand Ledge Zoning Ordinance requires approval by the City Council, after a public hearing is held and a recommendation is made by the Planning Commission. There is no circumstance where development of privately owned land would require a vote of the people. The purpose of requiring approval by the City Council is to ensure the development complies with all local codes and ordinances, can be served by all necessary public services, and will be developed in a manner that does not negatively impact surrounding land uses. A public comment opportunity is provided at all City Council meetings. 3. How will the new properties be accessed? Will the existing roads be utilized or will a new road be created? Consistent with the plat that was approved for Meadow Woods Subdivision as a whole, Pennine Ridge will be extended to the east to accommodate Phase 1 of the site condominium project. Future phases will also require the construction of new roadways. The entire development will continue to be accessed via the existing streets in Meadow Woods Subdivision. 4. Will all traffic use Pennine Ridge? Pennine Ridge will be extended to the east and all of the new lots in Phase 1 of the site condominium project will have frontage on Pennine Ridge. This is consistent with the plat that was approved for the remaining phases of Meadow Woods Subdivision. Page 1 of 6

2 5. Will the units be owner-occupied homes, townhouses, or condominiums? The units within the site condominium development will be owner-occupied, single family, detached homes. 6. If this phase is approved, will all future phases also be approved? The Zoning Ordinance permits site condominiums in the R-MD, Medium Density Residential district, which is the zoning designation of the subject property, if the standards of Section can be met. The purpose of the R-MD district, as stated in the Ordinance is: The R-LD and R-MD Single-Family Residential Districts are designed to be the most restrictive of the residential districts. The intent is to provide for an environment of predominantly one-family detached dwellings of varying densities along with other residentially related facilities which serve the residents in the district. Section of the Ordinance allows site condominiums as an option for development in the R- MD district: The site condominium option is intended to provide for the division of land as regulated by the Condominium Act (Act 59 of 1978, as amended, MCLA et seq.) rather than the Subdivision Control Act (Act 288 of 1967, as amended, MCLA et seq.). In accordance with Section 141 of Act 59 (MCLA ), it is further intended that development utilizing the site condominium options be treated no differently than a subdivision developed under the Subdivision Control Act and that the same standards be applied in their design layout and improvements. The phase of the development being proposed at this time demonstrates compliance with this Section. All future phases will be also reviewed to determine compliance with the standards of the Zoning Ordinance. It should also be noted, the proposed development is consistent with the City of Grand Ledge Master Plan which designates the subject property for single family residential use. The Planning Commission serves in an advisory role to the City Council with respect to the approval or denial of a site condominium development. Both the Planning Commission and City Council must make their decisions based on the development plan s compliance with the regulations and evaluation criteria established in the Zoning Ordinance and its consistency with the land use pattern being advanced in the City s Master Plan. If found to be in compliance with all standards of the Zoning Ordinance and Master Plan, from a legal standpoint, the City does not have the discretion to deny the development plan. 7. Will the lots in the site condominium development be smaller than the lots in the subdivision? All lots in the proposed site condominium development meet or exceed the minimum lot size requirements established by the Zoning Ordinance for the R-MD district (8,450 square feet in area, 65 feet minimum lot width). The 65 foot lot width requirement is measured at the 25 foot front yard setback line. The lots in Phase 1 of the site condominium development range in size from 8,501 square feet in area and 65 feet in width to 14,894 square feet in area and 80 feet in width. These dimensions are consistent with the majority of the existing lots in the subdivision. Page 2 of 6

3 8. How far apart will the houses be? The houses in the site condominium development will be required to comply with the same building setbacks as the existing Meadow Woods Subdivision. The existing subdivision and the proposed site condominium development are both zoned R-MD. The setback requirements for this district are: 25 foot front yard setback, 35 foot rear yard setback, and side yard setbacks of at least 5 feet on one side and a total of 15 feet for both sides of the house. 9. Will taxes for the existing homes in the subdivision be affected by the new builds? The City Assessor will provide a response to this question. 10. Will apartments (multi-family housing) be constructed on the site? The property is zoned R-MD, Medium Density Residential, which permits single family residential use only. Apartments CANNOT be constructed on the site. 11. What about the bat population in the woods? The proposed Phase 1 Site Plan does not impact the wooded area. The protection of brown bat habitats is not regulated by either the City or the State of Michigan. 12. How will the new site condominium development affect the acre parcel of land along W. Main Street and adjacent to the site ( ) from a storm water run-off standpoint? The infrastructure and grading plans for each phase of the site condominium development must be reviewed and approved by the City Engineer and Public Service Director prior to any construction or mass grading. Part of this review is ensuring all storm-water run-off is managed within the confines of the site. A detention pond sized to accommodate a full build-out of the entire 71.4 acres (existing phases of the subdivision and future site condominium development) already exists on the site. The size and capacity of the detention basin was based on the original plan to subdivide the entire 71.4 acres of land. The plan for the undeveloped area that is now proposed for site condominiums is consistent with the plan that was originally used to determine the size and capacity of the detention basin. 13. What is the projected sale price of the units? The starting price for homes in Meadow Woods East will be around $190,000 with a desired average selling price of $225,000 to $250,000. The average selling price in the Meadow Woods Subdivision over the last two years has been $201,500 with a range of $136,250 to $236, What will be the size and square feet of units? The minimum square footage offered in the current portfolio is 1,400 square feet and the maximum is 3,100 square feet. There will be a variety of building designs, several examples of which are available for review at City Hall. The portfolio being offered consists of 177 elevation options that will uniformly integrate with the existing community. Each elevation can be modified with color variations, trim styles, and brick or stone. At a minimum, homes will include a two-car garage and identical homes will not be placed side by side. Page 3 of 6

4 15. Are individual lots (only) for sale? Yes, the units as shown on the proposed site condominium development plan will be sold individually by the developer, in the same manner as the lots in the subdivision were sold. 16. Will the depth or the width of the unit face Pennine Ridge? The front wall (width) of the house will face Pennine Ridge. 17. How long will it take to build and sell the proposed 21 units? How long will it take to build out the entire proposed site condominium development? Per the developer, once constructed, the 21 units will supply approximately two years of inventory. The developer does not have a projected timeframe for the remaining phases of the development. Future development will be determined by housing market conditions and demand. 18. How many bedrooms and baths will be in each unit? Per the developer, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms will vary depending on the home. Typically, homes will include 3 to 4 bedrooms and 2 to 3 bathrooms. 19. Will any of the woods be kept? The proposed Phase 1 Site Plan does not impact the wooded area. 20. Will all houses be two-story homes or a mix or one and two stories? The portfolio contains a mix of ranch, cape-cod, and two story homes. 21. Will the houses have a similar cookie cutter design or will there be a variety of designs and colors? The minimum square footage offered in the current portfolio is 1,400 square feet and the maximum is 3,100 square feet. There will be a variety of building designs, several examples of which are available for review at City Hall. The portfolio being offered consists of 177 elevation options that will uniformly integrate with the existing community. Each elevation can be modified with color variations, trim styles, and brick or stone. At a minimum, homes will include a two-car garage and identical homes will not be placed side by side. 22. Where will the temporary fire department turn-around be constructed? A temporary Fire Department turn-around will be constructed at the east end of Pennine Ridge. 23. Will more busses be needed to transport the children to school? Depending on the population of school age children in the site condominium phases of Meadow Woods, Grand Ledge Public Schools may need to reevaluate transportation needs. Page 4 of 6

5 24. Will there be a condominium association? The State of Michigan Condominium Act (Public Act 59 of 1978) requires a Homeowners Association to regulate the homes within the site condominium development. 25. What will be the association fees? Per the developer, there will be no fee for the Homeowners Association. A special assessment of the owners within the site condominium development may be necessary for infrastructure maintenance costs. 26. Will the development be regulated by a master deed? A master deed is the document that records the site condominium project, including the bylaws and the subdivision plan. Master deeds are required by State statute for all condominium projects in the State of Michigan and must be recorded with the County Register of Deeds. Statements that were submitted in writing or made at the public hearing: 1. There is not enough access into the subdivision to support the planned development. The roads are already in bad shape. The amount of traffic that will result, will adversely affect the existing roads and safety of the existing families. The proposed site condominium development plan is consistent with the plan that was originally established for the complete build out of Meadow Woods Subdivision. The plan that was approved by the City in 1997, upon annexation from Oneida Township, was for 205 lots, extending from Tallman Road on the west to the CSX railroad right-of-way to the east. To this point, 6 phases of that development (111 lots) have been approved. The original approved plan provided two access points (Hawks Ridge at W. Main Street and St. John s Chase at Tallman Road) serving the entire development. 2. The construction traffic alone will destroy the roads. The existing roads are public roads that were built to City of Grand Ledge standards. 3. It appears the lots are small and will result in lower property values. All lots in the proposed site condominium development meet or exceed the minimum lot size requirements established by the Zoning Ordinance for the R-MD district (8,450 square feet in area, 65 feet minimum lot width). The 65 foot lot width requirement is measured at the 25 foot front yard setback line. The lots in Phase 1 of the site condominium development range in size from 8,501 square feet in area and 65 feet in width to 14,894 square feet in area and 80 feet in width. These dimensions are consistent with the majority of the existing lots in the subdivision. 4. Sign dumped at end of Bolton Farms Lane. Area has become a dumping ground. The sign, along with any other junk or debris must be removed as it constitutes a violation of City Ordinance No Page 5 of 6

6 5. The homes will only be 975 square feet which will negatively impact the value of the existing houses that are much larger. The minimum square footage offered in the current portfolio is 1,400 square feet and the maximum is 3,100 square feet. There will be a variety of building designs, several examples of which are available for review at City Hall. The portfolio being offered consists of 177 elevation options that will uniformly integrate with the existing community. Each elevation can be modified with color variations, trim styles, and brick or stone. At a minimum, homes will include a two-car garage and identical homes will not be placed side by side. The starting price for homes in Meadow Woods East will be around $190,000 with a desired average selling price of $225,000 to $250,000. The average selling price in the Meadow Woods Subdivision over the last two years has been $201,500 with a range of $136,250 to $236, The proposed 1 st phase of the condominium development (21 units) is double the density of the 1 st phase of Meadow Woods Subdivision. All lots in the proposed site condominium development meet or exceed the minimum lot size requirements established by the Zoning Ordinance for the R-MD district (8,450 square feet in area, 65 feet minimum lot width). The 65 foot lot width requirement is measured at the 25 foot front yard setback line. The lots in Phase 1 of the site condominium development range in size from 8,501 square feet in area and 65 feet in width to 14,894 square feet in area and 80 feet in width. These dimensions are consistent with the majority of the existing lots in the subdivision. Phase 1 of Meadow Woods Subdivision contained 26 lots on acres of land for a gross density of 2.01 dwelling units per acre. The proposed site condominium development is for 21 dwelling units on 6.22 acres of land for a gross density of 3.37 dwelling units per acre. The primary difference between the two phases is that the lots on the west side of Hawks Ridge have depths of feet in order to provide greater building setbacks from Tallman Road which is unpaved and therefore, generates a great deal of dust and dirt. The majority of the lots in the rest of the subdivision have depths of 150 feet which is consistent with what is being proposed for the condominium development. For further comparison purposes, the other phases in Meadow Woods Subdivision have gross densities as follows: Phase dwelling units per acre Phase dwelling units per acre Phase dwelling units per acre Phase dwelling units per acre Phase dwelling units per acre Page 6 of 6