04.11.07
By NICOLE GERRING
HARSENS ISLAND - Developers proposing a $170 million, 380-acre housing development may need special approval to build condominiums on North Channel Road.
Grande Pointe Development, LLC, which is managed by former Clay Township resident and casino investor Michael Malik, applied March 30 for a permit to build "cluster housing" on the former Boys & Girls Club property. Cluster housing groups several residential units together and leaves large open spaces between groups of units.
The former Boys & Girls Club land has two types of zoning - suburban and high density. Officials still are trying to determine how cluster housing fits into both zoning classifications. If the development company's plans don't fit within zoning regulations, Grande Pointe will need special approval to move forward, said Jon Manos, Clay Township Supervisor.
Because Grande Pointe owns all of the former Boys & Girls Club property but plans to develop only some of it, township officials still are determining how much the company will pay in review fees. The review process will not begin until the fees are paid, Manos said.
Dorothy DeBoyer, chairwoman of the township planning commission, said the permit will be reviewed by the township's building and zoning administrator. The request then will be forwarded to the township's planner, Community Planning and Management in Clinton Township; the township planning commission; and finally to the township board.
The request isn't expected to reach the planning commission until May. The township board will have final say on whether the permit is granted.
It will likely be a very long process," DeBoyer said.
When Grande Pointe's request is reviewed by the planning commission, the board will review the entire development proposal, including determining the project's impact on island traffic and what kind of buildings will be built.
Project plans call for the development to include a manmade canal and lagoon. The development would require rerouting North Channel Road, adding three to five minutes of drive time for some residents traveling to Champion's Auto Ferry, islanders' only access to the mainland.
Rerouting the road must be approved by the St. Clair County Road Commission.
Officials with the development company did not return phone messages. Grande Pointe's spokesman has said developers would like to break ground on the project in the spring of 2008.When members of the township planning commission review the project, they will base their decision on township and state requirements.
"It's all reviewed on the basis of the law," DeBoyer said. "Does it meet requirements (or) not meet requirements?"
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