  Renfirst Member Username: Renfirst Post Number: 155 Registered: 12-2006 |
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pb cs.dll/article?AID=/20071231/M ETRO02/712310317 WHITE LAKE TOWNSHIP -- Brad Bartlett moved from Rochester six years ago because of what he considered overdevelopment, but now he's worried the same thing may be happening in White Lake Township. "Too much development of green space with strip malls can destroy whatever charm that attracted people to move to a community," the 56-year-old said. "If White Lake can bring in new development that we actually need, like sit-down restaurants to give people a bit more of a social life, that's one thing. But if they fill it with a bunch of crap then they'll ruin a perfectly good area." The Township Board has given preliminary site plan approval for a nearly 300,000-square-foot development to be built on the northwest corner of M-59 and Hill Road. The 39 acres, across from Cedarbrook Estates where Bartlett lives, has been rezoned from agricultural to planned business to accommodate the development. James Galbraith with White Lake Hill LLC in Farmington Hills has proposed a development that will feature major big box stores, three restaurants surrounding an outdoor water feature, a multi-tenant retail building and a bank, according to White Lake Planning Director Sean O'Neil. While deals with specific stores haven't been hammered out, businesses such as Target, Macy's and Nordstrom have been brought up. But Bartlett remains unimpressed. "People can travel elsewhere to stores like that," he said. "It's not a necessity. I'm glad we have a Meijer across the street but that should really be sufficient enough." The vast majority of commercial development popping up along M-59 is a natural progression because it's a busy corridor, according to O'Neil. A J.C. Penney store is set to open in 2008 on M-59 near Elizabeth Lake Road. "We all need goods and services," O'Neil said. "I think if we can bring tasteful development that is well thought out that enhances the character of the community, then we are doing our job." O'Neil said the township's growth dictates a need for greater services. "This a quality of life issue," he said. "Ten to 20 years ago there was a Kmart and Kroger in White Lake and that's about it. So a huge benefit of the development is that people no longer have to spend an hour in their car and lot of money on gas to shop." Construction at M-59 and Hill Road is set to begin next year. ------------------------------ ------ "While deals with specific stores haven't been hammered out, businesses such as Target, Macy's and Nordstrom have been brought up." I love how they're actually pretending that Macy's or Nordstroms would consider locations in WHITE LAKE... | ||
Funaho Member Username: Funaho Post Number: 13 Registered: 11-2007 |
"Ten to 20 years ago there was a Kmart and Kroger in White Lake and that's about it." As a SW Detroit resident I'd be happy with just those two stores...I wouldn't be trekking down to Lincoln Park and Allen Park all the time. | ||
Chitaku Member Username: Chitaku Post Number: 1749 Registered: 03-2006 |
if it is green space they want move back home to the city | ||
Gsgeorge Member Username: Gsgeorge Post Number: 524 Registered: 08-2006 |
quote: How unique, James! White Lake Population: 28,219 and rising Distance from downtown Detroit: 41.6 miles | ||
Saintme Member Username: Saintme Post Number: 73 Registered: 08-2006 |
Off topic, but . . . . . . where is this demand for new J.C. Penney's suddenly coming from? Westland, Novi, Dearborn, Lincoln Park, Taylor, Troy, Waterford, Brighton, Ann Arbor, Roseville, Flint, Burton, Monroe, & two in Sterling Heights aren't enough? Is it really that popular here? | ||
Mackinaw Member Username: Mackinaw Post Number: 4250 Registered: 02-2005 |
Love that first quote. That's the cycle of insanity, completely articulated. Keep it going! | ||
Gistok Member Username: Gistok Post Number: 6024 Registered: 08-2004 |
That guy in the article made me laugh... he's complaining about overdevelopment... but what he doesn't get is that by moving to a lower population density area... he IS the problem. As lower density areas get more people like him, more development will follow. Funny that some people can't put 2 and 2 together... | ||
Fareastsider Member Username: Fareastsider Post Number: 753 Registered: 08-2006 |
Bastion of Ignorance I cant believe that toolbox is a planning director. "This a quality of life issue," he said. "Ten to 20 years ago there was a Kmart and Kroger in White Lake and that's about it. So a huge benefit of the development is that people no longer have to spend an hour in their car and lot of money on gas to shop." Such simple and mechanical answers to the issues. Every growth story in local papers is the same. SOme resident mad about development, and a town official talking about the benefits, jobs, and growth. Which would be fine and correct if this region wasnt being depleted of resources from the inside out. | ||
Mikeg Member Username: Mikeg Post Number: 1368 Registered: 12-2005 |
quote: The planning direstor is not ignorant, he knows where his paycheck is coming from. The root cause is folks like Brad Bartlett who think they can move to escape "overdevelopment", only to realize six years later that new commercial development is following him in the search for a portion of his discretionary income and that of his new neighbors. | ||
Detroitplanner Member Username: Detroitplanner Post Number: 1501 Registered: 04-2006 |
Saintme, the Monroe JC Pennys is closed, oh and we can't forget about the closed Northland Pennys! Thats where the demand is coming from!  Hey Sterling Heights has two Pennys?? You might want to add Brighton and Port Huron. Flint has a few stores (Courtland, Genesse, and Owosso)! | ||
Saintme Member Username: Saintme Post Number: 74 Registered: 08-2006 |
I read the JC Penney website wrong, it listed the Sterling Heights location twice. I guess it's more popular than I'd realized (there's one being built in Canton too) but I haven't been in one since I was a kid. | ||
Detroitplanner Member Username: Detroitplanner Post Number: 1502 Registered: 04-2006 |
I looked up the website, I don't go Lakeside as I live near Fairlane. If furniture is in a free standing store, that would make sense. | ||
Dialh4hipster Member Username: Dialh4hipster Post Number: 2240 Registered: 11-2004 |
OK, so what is wrong with people wanting to move to quiet, low-population areas? That guy in the article isn't necessarily the problem, he seems fine with it the way it is. I mean seriously, the issue seems to be with the Township officials and with developers. This isn't a citizen problem, it's a leadership problem. | ||
Detroitrise Member Username: Detroitrise Post Number: 1257 Registered: 09-2007 |
Don't forget a future JCPenny's in Detroit! | ||
Detroitplanner Member Username: Detroitplanner Post Number: 1504 Registered: 04-2006 |
Dialh, Are you familiar with what Meijer pulled up in Acme Twp (Traverse County) recently? Leadership is getting beat up by these giant corporations. Classic David vs Goliath. Too many are willing to look the other way for a short term boost in tax revenues generated by the new development. They don't look at the added costs to police and infrastructure. | ||
Jrvass Member Username: Jrvass Post Number: 367 Registered: 01-2007 |
As much as I hate the development on M-59 W. of Telegraph in White Lake and beyond, some of it seems to be a relocation of the Summit Place Mall anchor stores as they begin to put in motion the new minor league ballpark. It's sad, really. One day there are trees, the next day there is nothing but a site leveler preparing for the construction. | ||
Trainman Member Username: Trainman Post Number: 605 Registered: 04-2006 |
The Livonia opt out of SMART is a primary reason the demand for even more forests and farmlands to be developed as more people move out. Livonia is just like Detroit as we lose people and cut services. The Federal Transit Administration allowed Wal-Mart to bulldoze a federally funded multi-million dollar bus shelter by approving funding for the SEMCOG RTP projects for I-75 and I-94. The Michigan Department of Transportation has set aside 100’s of Millions of dollars to match for grants to expand the freeway and rail systems. This is discrimination against the low-income because of cuts to DDOT and SMART without alternative industry supports. Please support my efforts to save SMART by fighting for more federal, state and industry support and the protection of all mass transit funding, if you agree. See the new Trainman website under DETROIT LINKS. Your support is needed to protect our forests and farmlands in Michigan. | ||
Mackinaw Member Username: Mackinaw Post Number: 4254 Registered: 02-2005 |
Dialh, it is a leadership problem because land-use planning and any consideration for minimizing land consumption is completely lacking, and because their standards are so low...they're fine with big boxes and the same old, same old. Nobody in this State will make a plan for newly developing areas, so that the investment that will inevitably follow the people (like that guy) who move to these "natural areas" is more tolerable and not considered "overdevelopment." The retail and the big boxes will follow these people...because they have money to spend, and if Meijer opens up on a collector road near them and they don't have to drive 5-10 miles, then they will shop there. The problem is that all of these big boxes want to be here, and they all have massive acreage needs for their huge low-rise complex and parking. All of a sudden, the marsh or pastures that the people who moved out there apparently liked to look at is gone. This could be prevented with better planning. Build a downtown, give your town/township a center, and not a strip. Minimize the impact, and make the developed area look good and not like everyday "blah," and then you won't have people complaining about overdevelopment. Other states have plenty of planned downtowns in exurban locations, but Michigan has no such notion of this. The closet thing we'll get is that new development on the Kmart HQ site in Troy, but that is inner-ring at this point. | ||
3rdworldcity Member Username: 3rdworldcity Post Number: 997 Registered: 01-2005 |
Chitaku: Great comment. | ||
Scottr Member Username: Scottr Post Number: 849 Registered: 07-2006 |
Saintme, besides the White Lake and Canton stores, there's also one being built in Chesterfield township, and my store in Burton (Courtland Center) is relocating to a new store in the same mall. Personally, I'm glad the company is choosing to invest in Michigan, and yes, not doing too bad at all. It's business, and if they don't move in there, Kohl's will (and they still might anyways). People won't drive far to a Penney's if a Kohl's is around the corner, so they're building smaller, free-standing stores to keep those customers. Most of the closings occurred when jcp closed hundreds of underperforming stores across the country during a down time for the company. Now that they're doing better, a lot of new ones are opening up. I originally was going to post what a moron this guy in the article is for complaining when he's a fairly new resident himself, but several have beat me to it. So I'll just add how much it thrills me when I read in the paper how someone is fighting a development some have wanted for decades in my own town, and then they go on to say how they moved here 2 years ago for the 'rural' atmosphere. (huh? in Grand Blanc?) It's a simple failure to identify cause and effect, a fairly common problem actually. | ||
Dialh4hipster Member Username: Dialh4hipster Post Number: 2241 Registered: 11-2004 |
quote: Right, that's what I said. | ||
Novine Member Username: Novine Post Number: 321 Registered: 07-2007 |
If they had found someone who had lived in White Lake for 30 years or more and complained about the development, would the objections suddenly have merit? |
