VBT Planners ask for ordinance to make way for senior housing

At its regular meeting May 22, the Van Buren Township Planning Commission heard what other communities are doing to let their senior citizens age in place and then directed their planning consultant to come up with an ordinance for them to consider.
At a past meeting, Commissioner Medina Atchinson said her friends are having to move to other communities when they get older and wish to downsize their homes. She urged the commission to find a way for the people who live in this area to be able to stay in the township.
Consultant Vidya Krishnan of McKenna presented a three-page report on what communities of similar size are doing for senior housing. She reported on Lyon Township, one of the fasted-growing townships in Michigan; Orion Charter Township; City of Inkster; and City of Rochester, where she serves as planning consultant.
“In recent years, senior housing has been a vital topic in planning,” said Krishnan, who replaced Patrick Sloan as VBT planning consultant when Sloan was hired from McKenna by Canton Township.
Krishnan spoke of a VBT ordinance allowing senior housing in industrial zoning and VBT Treasurer Sharry Budd, who sits on the commission, said she didn’t like having it in an industrial setting.
Beth Ernat, assistant development director of Clover Development, got up to speak on the subject. She said her company, which is based in New York, has five different adult communities in Michigan, and also communities in New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and Indiana.
“The demographics are great in Van Buren Township,” Ernat said. “We want to be in Van Buren Township.”
She said they need acreage because they are looking at 120 units, two to four stories high, in the light industrial property, with room for green space and buffer.
She said light industrial zoning is a transition zone between industrial and residential.
“I like PUD [Planned Unit Development] or Special Provisions District,” she said. Krishnan had reported on the Special Projects District in Rochester with the planning commission being able to determine placement.
Ernat said Clover provides three kinds of units: a residential unit for independent living, where people can sell their house and live there for ten years on that investment. Then, there is full care, where meals and other services are provided, and finally units where medical care and memory services are provided.
She said their typical resident is an 82-year-old female. There is one parking space per unit. This housing is not subsidized.
“Our apartments are not designed to be anything other than senior care, for those 55 and older,” Ernat said.
She said 2% of their units are one-bedroom, which is 800 square feet. Others are two bedroom, one bath, at 1,000 square feet, and two bedrooms, two baths, at 1,200 square feet.
They would need about 10 to 12 acres, with a “sweet spot” of eight to ten acres, she said.
Commissioner Jeff Jahr asked if they would like surrounding amenities.
Ernat said they would like healthcare, shopping, churches, “not on top of, but close by,” that the residents are familiar with.
“Not the rolling countryside,” Commissioner Jahr stated.
She agreed, noting they have placed developments on an outlot to Meijer and behind a Home Depot.
Ernat said in selecting a site, Clover looks at acreage, price of the property, and the demographics, which is great in VBT.
She said Clover will start with conversations with the community to see if this is a desired use in the township and how to make it happen. It is not income-restricted, she said.
Ron Akers, VBT director of planning and economic development, said around Belleville Road, north of Tyler, there is mixed-use zoning.
Commission chairwoman Carol Thompson asked if there is any zoning district where this is special use and Akers said not in residential. He said they would like to see a flexibility for developers.
“It’s not a good idea for the planning commission to have carte blanche on where to put it, like in Rochester, but it’s worth exploring,” Jahr said.
“I hope staff will identify property for Ms. Ernat for possible sites,” Commissioner Atchinson said, and Akers said he could.
Krishna said the process in Rochester works for them, but may not be what is needed here. She said she would bring back a draft ordinance.
Krishna said an ordinance would cover all three types of units in one package: independent, dependent, and Alzheimer/medical.
Commission vice-chairman Donald Boynton said he would like to see a hybrid of all three that is not too broad.
“If it makes sense to decrease parking, we should have the flexibility to do that, and also landscaping,” Commissioner Boynton said.
“We look forward to seeing what you bring,” Chairwoman Thompson said.
In other business at the 49-minute meeting on May 22 , the commission also discussed whether automobile rental and leasing agencies should be taken out of C-1 and C-2 zoning and restricted to M-1, light industrial.
Akers said the supervisor’s office asked staff to look into this change. He said it wouldn’t affect an auto dealership, but it would be for Hertz or U-Haul. Right now they are able to locate in commercial zoning on Belleville and Rawsonville roads and eliminating such businesses would “keep the Belleville Road corridor looking attractive,” Akers said.
Atchinson said Hertz used to have a car rental at Willow Run Airport and when Atchinson customers needed a rental they were taken there.
“Now when we have to rent a car, we have to drive farther and farther away,” Atchinson said, noting Hertz is gone from Willow Run because of a lack of business.
“I would like to have a car rental on Belleville Road,” she said.
Akers said trucks and construction equipment were his concerns. He said there is C-2 zoning on Belleville Road between Belleville Square and the hotels and also at Rawsonville and I-94.
He said Kmarts are closing around the state and self-storage or U-Haul could be set up on the Kmart property, if the store should close.
Akers agreed it might be more appropriate to separate the car rentals from the truck rentals.
Rezoning
The commission also held a public hearing on the rezoning of 13414 Martinsville Rd. from M-1, light industrial, to R1-B, single-family residential.
This is another in a recent series of homes rezoned on Martinsville, north of Savage Road, in an area that had been zoned M-1 at one time in the past, but had already had homes on them. Recently, the banks have required the homes to be properly zoned in order for property buyers to get loans.
Andrea L. Ratajski said she got married in November and is living with her husband in Bloomfield Hills. She has accepted an offer on her former home and is waiting for a closing date. She is asking for the rezoning on the .94 acres on Martinsville.
Atchinson said she and Andrea have been long-time friends, but she has no financial interest in this transaction. Commission members said their friendship doesn’t matter in the vote on the rezoning.
The commission voted unanimously to send the rezoning request on to the township board for final action, with a recommendation for approval.