Andrew Winnie urges VBT planners to turn down Waverly proposal

At the June 10 Van Buren Township Planning Commission meeting, Andrew Winnie spoke during the public comment period for items not on the agenda.
Several people were present in the audience to witness presentation of the proposed Waverly Apartment development, but it had been removed from the agenda.
Winnie had his arms loaded with documents, which he didn’t have time to present during his 3-minute comment period, so he said he was sharing them with the township so they would have more information.
He said he was there to respectfully ask the planning commission to deny the proposed development of 285 rental units and 92 single-family homes on the former Harbour Club Golf Course, originally known as Lemon Tree Golf & Apartments.
He also asked the township to slow down and conduct a complete review of the historical approvals, recorded documents, easements, covenants, development agreements and planning commitments associated with this property before making any decision.
“This is much more than a zoning issue,” he said. “It is a planned development issue.
“The golf course land now proposed for 285 apartments and 92 homes was identified in recorded documents for more than 50 years as a golf course, clubhouse, driving range, tennis courts, and recreational facilities serving the Lemon Tree/Harbour Club and our community.
“This property was never treated as ordinary, vacant land. It was developed as part of an integrated planned community, consisting of apartments, recreational amenities, and open space,” he said.
“One of the earliest mortgage documents I located, dated June 5, 1972, describes the project as consisting of 294 apartment units, a clubhouse, swimming pool, and golf course. The golf course was not an afterthought. It was one of the defining features of the original development and was incorporated into the project from the beginning. It was built first,” Winnie said.
He said the original Dec. 7, 1968 land contract between Martha Jilek, the seller, and Frank and Viola Volk, the buyer, specifically references the golf course.
“The agreement states that the purchaser shall not have possession of the lands for any other purpose whatsoever than that of the golf course.
“Those words deserve careful review before this community permanently loses nearly 100 acres of recreational open space,” he said.
“The historical record shows that the township approved an integrated planned community at densities that would not otherwise have been approved because the project included extensive recreational amenities and open-space features,” Winnie said.
He said the developer received approval to construct approximately 1,150 apartment units at a density of roughly 19 units per acre, one of the highest-density residential developments approved in the township at that time.