VB planners recommend approval of Cobblestone PRD amendment

At a meeting on April 24, the Van Buren Township Planning Commission unanimously approved recommending that the township board of trustees approve the amended Planned Residential Development agreement for Cobblestone Creek Phase III.
The request for the PRD amendment was by David Straub of M/I Homes of Michigan, LLC, so he could build 154 single-family homes to complete the development with a total of 35 (22.7%) side-entry garages instead of the 30% which had been required under the original PRD.
The site is Phase III of the 117.06-acre Cobblestone Creek PRD on the south side of West Huron River Drive, east of Hoeft Road.
Vidya Krishnan, the township’s planning consultant from McKenna Associates, said Straub agreed to enhance 11 garage doors and to put sidewalks on both sides of the streets as part of the PRD change. She recommended approval of the PRD amendment.
Ron Akers, director of municipal services, has been filling in for Dan Power, director of planning and economic development, since the birth of Power’s second child.
Director Akers distributed a 13-page report from the absent Director Power on stormwater and drainage issues, with aerial imagery.
In the report, director Power recommended that as a condition of approval, the applicant should create a strategy in coordination with township staff to reduce the volume and speed of drainage from Cobbelstone Creek Phase III dwelling units to the overall storm sewer system.
Director Akers explained that there was a petition from homeowners in Cobblestone to the Wayne County Drain Office to clear Jewitt Drain and the county officials met and decided it was needed and it is in the design stage now.
He said the township staff has met with residents of Cobblestone Creek and its homeowners’ association about the drainage system. He said the HOA is responsible for the drainage system that was put in in 2005 and there may be a need for some maintenance now.
He said Power recommended working with the developer on additional ways to cut back on the amount of stormwater produced.
Straub said it feels like his project is moving forward to completion. He said since the amendment reduces the number of side-entry garages, it will reduce the amount of impervious surface already approved.
“Comments on the drainage is troublesome to me,” Straub said, noting the site was developed in 2021-22 and it has final, as-built approval with the county as of this year.
He said Wayne County is moving toward cleaning Jewett Drain. When it backs up, that is the problem, he said.
Straub said he will be glad to sit down with the staff to show he cares about impacting the drainage system.
Commissioner Jeff Jahr said the letter from Power was just handed to him at the meeting and he wanted to make sure he understood what it was saying. He said the drainage was approved by the county in 2021-22 and it is the county’s responsibility to maintain the drain, but the township thinks it isn’t doing its job.
Commissioner Jahr asked if the commission should put the approval on hold until the township engineer can look at it and Akers said the drainage is already approved by Wayne County.
Commissioner Peter Creel said the development is already serviced by the drain.
Krishnan said in plans on paper it said the Jewett Drain should handle the drainage, but it isn’t. She said she doesn’t think the commission should require Straub to make a change.
Commissioner Creel said he has a little bit of a problem with this and that the county should be held accountable for the drain, not a developer wanting approval of forward-facing garages.
Commissioner Bernie Grant said he agreed.
“I’m not sure why we’re talking about it,” Commissioner Grant said. “No new responsibility should be placed upon him.”
Akers said it was recommended as a condition of approval since it was brought up by the residents.
Krishnan said the PRD is approved and today what is before them is side-entry garages only. It would be good for the developer to be willing to discuss drainage with the township, but not placed as a condition.
Creel said he agreed with that.
Jahr said the commission can only recommend to the township board and Straub will have to come back one more time to the board meeting to assuage the board’s fear of drainage problems.
Grant noted this is not a condition set by the township engineer (who was not present at that night’s meeting).
Straub said the county will put a special assessment on those impacted by the Jewitt Drain cleaning.
Commissioner Jackson Pahle said he was at the Jewitt Drain hearing and the county gave no details about the time the cleaning will be done or the costs, but the county will pay a very small amount for the work.
“This is not what we are being asked to consider at this time,” Commission chairman Brian Cullin said of the drain situation.
“This is the final PRD amendment?” Jahr asked and Krishnan said, yes, they already have final site plan approval.
Jahr made a motion to recommend the PRD amendment to the board, noting the concerns of Power are not attached as stipulations. This was seconded by Creel and approved unanimously.
In other business at the 45-minute meeting, the commission:
• Approved temporary land use from June 21 to July 5 for the Phantom Fireworks outdoor fireworks tent sale in the Menards parking lot on the west side of Belleville Road south of Tyler Road. The tent will be open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and this is the fifth year Phantom Fireworks will be sold at the site; and
• Heard Commissioner Jahr ask about whether the food vendor outside the Menards that got temporary land use approval last year has been back this year. Akers said he is not aware of any application and Krishnan said the “hot dog lady” hasn’t been back, but the township gave paperwork for a temporary land use request for a woman who wanted a food truck at a gas station, but she has not turned in the paperwork. Jahr said there was a question last year about whether the food vendor at Menards was close enough to be in the footprint of the main store and maybe didn’t need a permit to operate. He said he’d like that determined in advance, since this is the time of year for applications for such permits.