A farm that may be the last of its kind in Oshtemo faces a future as a housing development
A 38.53-acre parcel on the 6,000 block of Parkview Avenue that has been farmed for decades could become a residential neighborhood. The Oshtemo Township Planning Commission voted unanimously Wednesday night to recommend the rezoning, but the decision now goes to the Township Board with residents warning the area's infrastructure is already stretched thin.
The request comes from Michigan Housing Partnership LLC, affiliated with Allen Edwin Homes, on behalf of the property owners. They are asking the township to rezone the land from R-5 residential district to R-4 residential district. The Township Board makes the final decision.
What the development would look like
A representative for Michigan Housing Partnership told the commission the company plans a primarily single-family residential development on the site. The plans include a mix of ranch homes and two-story homes ranging from roughly 1,100-square-foot two-bedroom ranches up to 2,000-square-foot four-bedroom homes, with some attached housing also under consideration.
Specific site design comes in a later stage. The company will return to the commission for a full site plan review once the rezoning is in place.
A small slice of the property, 1.24 acres in the northeast corner, is excluded from the rezoning at the property owners' request. That corner retains its commercial zoning and contains an irrigation pump house that serves Fountain Springs, the manufactured housing community immediately to the west.
Why the zoning change matters
The distinction between the two zoning designations is significant. R-5 is the only residential district in Oshtemo Township that permits manufactured housing communities. R-4 allows a broader range of uses including single-family homes, duplexes, multifamily, senior housing, and planned unit developments as a special exception, but not manufactured housing communities.
One commissioner raised this directly during the hearing. As the township builds more conventional housing, the stock of land zoned R-5 shrinks, and lower-cost housing options become harder to develop.
Oshtemo Township Zoning Administrator Hutson noted this may be the last vacant R-5 parcel in the township. He said Oshtemo Township once had about 30 percent of the county's manufactured housing residents within its boundaries.
The commissioner said the concern was real but not a reason to oppose this request. He said other zones can still accommodate lower-cost housing and a manufactured housing community is not the only way to serve that need.
Notably, R-4 zoning would actually result in less density than what the current R-5 designation allows. Staff found the rezoning consistent with the 2045 Oshtemo Township Comprehensive Plan, which designates this area for neighborhood mixed use.
Residents sound the alarm on traffic
Two residents from Huntington Run, the manufactured housing community immediately west of the parcel, spoke during the public hearing. Both pointed to the same issue: traffic.
The intersection of Parkview Avenue and Atlantic is already a problem, one resident said. He indicated the existing entrance is not adequate for current traffic, let alone what a large new development would bring.
He noted that a stub street was built years ago on Atlantic in anticipation of office development that never came. He said the broader corridor has been waiting for infrastructure improvements for decades.
Another person asked the commission to study water, sewer, streets, lighting, and safety at the Parkview and Atlantic intersection before the development moves forward. She said the entrance is not usable for any more traffic in its current condition.
Commission members and staff acknowledged the concerns. They were clear that specific site design, access, and traffic questions are addressed at the site plan stage, not at rezoning. Any site plan submitted for this property would need to satisfy those requirements before receiving approval.
Staff also noted that an extension of Atlantic Avenue has been in planning for years through the township's Downtown Development Authority. Negotiations with the Road Commission have stalled the project.
What comes next
The commission's recommendation now goes to the Oshtemo Township Board of Trustees for a final decision. Residents will have another opportunity for public comment when the board considers the rezoning.
If approved, Michigan Housing Partnership returns to the Planning Commission with a full site plan. At that point, traffic, access, utilities, and design are on the table in detail.
The surrounding area already includes multi-family developments along Parkview Avenue and Stadium Drive, as well as senior housing facilities nearby.
"Any site plan submitted for this property would need to satisfy those requirements before receiving approval."
— Oshtemo Township Planning Commission staff
The vote Wednesday was unanimous on the commission. The board's decision has not yet been scheduled.