VBT grants C of O’s for Walden Woods homes, after vowing it wouldn’t

By Rosemary K. Otzman
Independent Editor
Last week, James Jozwiak, president of the Walden Woods Homeowners Association, found out that the two newest homes in his subdivision had just been granted certificates of occupancy.
He was surprised because at the Jan. 13 meeting of the Van Buren Township Board of Trustees neighbors of the subdivision and subdivision residents were assured by Supervisor Linda Combs that the C of O’s would not be granted until Morton Taylor Road was paved.
The paving of Morton Taylor was a part of the 1993 Planned Residential Development agreement with Walden Woods Development LLC of Farmington and the road was to be paved prior to occupancy on Phase 4. The development, with its original developer, is now on Phase 5 with just a few lots left in the 300-home subdivision and the road remains unpaved.
Jozwiak said on the morning of Feb. 4 the Walden Woods HOA was contacted by Greco Title Agency, seeking HOA status letters for the two constructed homes which were due to close that week. He said they apparently were in urgent need of the status letters since the certificates of occupancy had been issued for the houses at 44001 Timberview Ct. and 44078 Timberview Ct.
VBT Director of Planning and Economic Development Jack Knowles said one C of O got into the system and was issued without his knowledge, he said. Knowles started his job with VBT Dec. 10.
The developer applied for the second C of O and Knowles instituted a new rule that C of O’s should not be granted without his approval.
Then, he said he issued a temporary C of O on the second building permit, so the people who bought the house could move in.
Knowles said a meeting was planned with the developer for Feb. 10 to talk and work things out.
“I’m new in this fray and am basing my opinions on documents,” Knowles said, adding he does not know of any other conversations that may have taken place in the past.
“Stay tuned,” he advised, saying it’s not unusual for disputes between municipalities and developers.
“Developers and planners are confrontational more than they should be,” he said. “This is an oddball situation out of the blue. They kicked this down the road a while and now it’s here. It’s a tough one.”
At the Jan. 13 meeting Supervisor Combs said when the housing market tanked several years ago, things slowed down for the developer and he wanted to wait to pave until the commercial corner at Tyler and Morton Taylor was developed.
She said a former planning director make a handshake agreement to wait on the paving, but it was not put in writing.