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Printer-Friendly ModeKochville Planning Commission recommends rezoning
Corner of Davis and Pierce roads closer to becoming mixed-use zone
September 19, 2005 —
The Kochville Township Planning Commission unanimously recommended on Monday the approval of the rezoning of land at the southwest corner of Davis and Pierce roads from single-family residential to mixed-use.
The six votes in favor (with Commission member Patricia Bourdow abstaining due to a conflict of interest) marked a step forward for Campus Village, the developer that wants to expand off-campus student housing and also add small businesses off the corner of the intersection of Pierce and Davis roads. The 13.98 acres of land, located at 6815 Davis and 6900 Davis respectively, is currently vacant land. While the Board voted to support the rezoning, it would still have to approve the site plan at a later date.
Ernest D. Schaefer, of Campus Village, argued before the commission that the growth of 2,200 students on the SVSU campus necessitated a rise in adjacent off-campus housing. Schaefer also stated that by placing more housing closer to the campus, it will alleviate heavy traffic and congestion on Pierce and Davis roads.
"Having student housing adjacent to the University will reduce student traffic," Schaefer argued.
Many residents did not share Schaefer's view concerning the merits of additional housing and development off-campus. Over the recent months, petitions have been lobbied and signed by many local residents, stating their objections to the proposed rezoning.
However, the Township's legal counsel said that the ambiguously worded petitions would never be allowed in the courts, since there are no reasons listed on the petitions for approving or opposing the rezoning. While formal, written letters could be used petitions such as those presented before the Board could not be used to counter the Township's position. Some residents also claimed that the petitions contained false information, while several residents who had signed the petition had since changed their minds on the issue.
Stephen J. Yanca, professor of social work at SVSU and a Township resident, was again one of the vocal opponents to the rezoning of the land. Previously, Yanca had referred to the Cardinal Townhomes (owned by Campus Village) as a "student ghetto." While Yanca steered clear of such words at the meeting, he did decry the rezoning as being solely a money-making venture.
"This project can only be described as a cash cow for investors at the expense of residents," Yanca said.
Several other local residents opposed the rezoning. One resident stated that "rezoning would only continue the deterioration of our neighborhood." Another resident asked, "What benefit is the rezoning to Kochville Township homeowners?"
Several SVSU students attended the meeting to offer support for the rezoning. One of them, Reggie Blockett, pointed out that students did not see "the idea that this is a negative" while adding that "this mixed district would definitely allow students to have better access to the community."
Overall, the Planning Commission seemed unmoved by residents' predictions that the further rezoning and expansion of the Campus Village project would be a detriment to the community's master plan. One member, George Eastland, visited one of the four-bedroom Cardinal Townhomes, and was pleased by what he saw.
"It doesn't bear any resemblance to a student ghetto," Eastland said, challenging the rezoning opponents to go and visit the complex firsthand.
After the meeting, Kochville Township Supervisor and Zoning Administrator Kenneth P. Bayne was pleased that the rezoning passed its first hurdle.
"The proposal is going to be a great asset to the community," Bayne said. "I find it very disturbing that (SVSU) staff members are referring to the community as a ghetto. Overall, I think it will be a great project."
The rezoning also got the thumbs-up from several University administration members in attendance. Dr. Eugene Hamilton, special assistant to the president for government relations, supported the project's merits.
"The University has planned its campus well, but we're also concerned about the area around us," Hamilton said.
James G. Muladore, vice president for administration and business affairs, said the University would work to make the Campus Village expansion as user-friendly as possible.
"We've been working the past year redeveloping campus master plans," Muladore said. "We think there's a natural tie-in with the athletic facilities."
Muladore also addressed one of many residents' common complaints - the lack of adequate sidewalks to accompany an increase in the pedestrian population.
"If the project does go forward, the University would look at developing a walkway system," Muladore said.
Following the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission, the proposed rezoning will move on to the Saginaw County Metropolitan Planning Commission for review. The times for this meeting have not yet been made available to the public.