A proposal by Campus Village Communities,LLC to build apartments and retail space next to the Foods For Living/Salvation Army building at Grand River and Park Lake has been submitted to Meridian Township.
At a public hearing before the Meridian Township Board on Tuesday July 7, 2015, Campus Village Communities,LLC presented an updated proposal to build a mixed-use project called “The Avenue on Grand River” on the vacant land next to building that currently houses Foods For Living and the Salvation Army store. The project would consist of 198 apartments (1, 2 and 4 bedroom units) with a total of 400 beds. Approximately 9500 square feet of new retail space would be added to the existing 54,547 square feet of existing retail on the site. The project was discussed at some length by the Township Board and a video of the meeting is available on HOM-TV <http://meridian.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=2#township>.
An earlier version of this project was presented to the Planning Commission which recommended rejection of the proposal by a vote of 5-1 at their June 8, 2015 meeting. As summarized in the staff memo to the Township Board, “At the meeting the Planning Commission noted several concerns about the project, including the following: a lack of buffering between the adjoining industrially zoned properties on Dawn Avenue and the apartments on the subject site (in Block 2 and 3); a portion of the proposed amenities are not designated for use by the public; the number of apartment units should be reduced and more greenspace should be provided; traffic issues; the proposed impervious surface coverage (81 %) exceeds the maximum allowed coverage for C-2 zoning (70%); the number of proposed parking spaces is considerably less that the number of required parking spaces; and some type of barrier should be provided between the apartment building and the railroad tracks, located south of the subject site.” In their presentation to the Township Board Campus Village Communities made some changes in their plan to address some of the issues listed above.
If residents of the Wardcliff Neighborhood would like to express their opinions to the Township Board on this proposed development they should send them by e-mail to board@meridian.mi.us or by regular mail to Elizabeth Legoff, Township Supervisor, 5151 Marsh Road, Okemos, MI 48864. The Board has indicated they will vote on this issue at their next meeting on Tuesday July 21, 2015 so time is short. Residents can also address the Board in person during the Public Comments portion of the agenda at the Board meeting.