By: Dean Vaglia | Macomb Chronicle | Published March 7, 2023
MACOMB TOWNSHIP — Zoning once again was the talk of the Macomb Township Board of Trustees meeting Feb. 22, with trustees approving a planned unit development along 24 Mile Road.
Known as “McBride Crossing” and located on the southern side of the road near the planned intersection with Broughton Road along the McBride Drain, the PUD allows for the existing agriculturally zoned parcel to house a mixture of single-family, multi-family and commercial properties. The west side of the Broughton Road expansion will be developed, while the land between Broughton and the McBride Drain will remain undeveloped, save for a planned pathway. Commercial space will be limited to the intersection of Broughton and 24 Mile roads.
“This is something that we have worked closely (on) with legal counsel and the applicant themselves to come to this agreement,” said Macomb Township Planning Director Josh Bocks. “I think we’ve spent dozens and dozens of hours sitting in a room talking to make sure we got it exactly right, and I think we’ve come to a conclusion.”
The plan received two rounds of pushback; the first coming from a resident in the area who called into the meeting with various concerns about the project. While three-story townhouses will be built, they will only be along the Broughton Road expansion and away from existing single-family homes. Another concern was that the zoning master plan only calls for single-family homes, and while true, the PUD process allows for the township to work with petitioner Stonecrest of Washington LLC to have multiple uses on their property. The PUD is granted on the condition that the developer will donate its right-of-way for Broughton and 24 Mile roads to the township and help construct the Broughton Road expansion.
Deviating from the master plan was the reason Trustee Frank Cusumano Jr. gave for providing the lone vote against the PUD, which passed 5-1.
On an unrelated zoning matter, a contingent of four residents in the area of 25 Mile and Broughton roads spoke against a conditional reasoning at that corner. While their comments did nothing to change the board’s prior decision to approve the rezoning — a decision made in line with the master plan — Tim Tomlinson, township attorney, said the administration is looking into ways to better inform the community about pending rezonings or projects. Signs were mentioned as one way to do so.
Five-year water and sewer plan
On Feb. 22, the Macomb Township Department of Public Works presented its capital improvement plans for fiscal years 2024-2028, going over projects and their financial impacts.
Three upcoming projects — water mains along Broughton, Heydenreich Road and 21 Mile Road — are reliant on Macomb County Department of Roads projects. Several other projects — replacing Pump Station 1, and sanitary sewer rehabilitation along 21 Mile and Romeo Plank roads, as well as several meter pit improvements and land acquisitions — are not reliant on the county department’s timetable.
Department of Public Works offices are also being renovated. An interior remodel of the 27-year-old building is being pursued, while a proximity card system, a cold storage building, covers for storage bins and parking lot improvements will be sought in the future.
Macomb Corners upgrade
The board also approved the purchase of a new play structure for Macomb Corners Park at a cost of nearly $400,000. The cost of the project includes the equipment, new turf where it will be placed, shipping and installation.
Between the ordering lead time and the process of moving and installing everything, Parks and Recreation Director Salvatore DiCaro expects it to be ready by early July.
“I would love to have it for the first concert on June 29, if we could,” DiCaro said.
Public hearings planned
The board scheduled two public hearings for the March 8 meeting to help acquire two Michigan Department of Natural Resources grants. The first Michigan DNR Trust Fund grants will help build the North Branch Greenway project by buying land along the Clinton River, while the second will be used to complete a pathway around McBride Pond.
Both grants will be used to complete the projects without using any additional township funds, making the North Branch Greenway a county-and-grant-funded project outside of administrative and property acquisition costs, while the pathway grant will be paired with a Southeast Michigan Council of Governments Transportation Alternatives Plan grant to connect with Macomb Corners Park and circle the lake at the Macomb Township Town Center.
The public hearings are a required part of the grant process with applications due in early April.