Garfield Township planning commissioners will discuss a proposed 168-unit apartment complex on Hartman Road and a planned bed-and-breakfast on Hainey Lane at their 7pm virtual meeting tonight (Wednesday). The board will also consider approving a construction extension for a planned 84-unit apartment complex on Garfield Road that has experienced project delays due to the pandemic.

Hartman Road Apartment Complex
The owner of 6.19 acres of vacant land on the south side of Hartman Road – west of Dracka Road – hopes to build a 168-unit apartment complex on the site, complete with seven three-story buildings, a clubhouse, and a pool area. But while the project is similar to other high-density, multi-family developments nearby – such as Liv Arbors – it likely faces an uphill battle for approval because of being located on the more rural, agricultural side of Hartman, says Township Planning Director John Sych.

Township planning commissioners will hold a conceptual planning review of the proposed Mosser apartment complex tonight – an informal first look at plans that allows commissioners to talk through the project and share feedback before developers return with a formal application. No decision will be made on the project tonight. However, developers will likely hear some tough feedback, according to Sych, who says the township’s master plan calls for keeping the south side of Hartman more rural – with lower-density housing – as opposed to the type of bigger complexes that are just across the street.

“When I look at the master plan, at some point there needs to be a transition to lower density,” he says. “I don’t know if Hartman is a good place to allow too much more residential. We’re really trying to encourage infill further north.” While Sych acknowledges the need for more housing in the region, he says there are multiple other locations in Garfield Township – along Garfield and LaFranier roads, as examples, and in several commercial areas – where property is still available and dense apartment complexes make more sense.

If planning commissioners want to consider allowing dense housing on the south side of Hartman, Sych says the board could revisit the master plan and consider changing zoning designations for the entire corridor. That would prevent the township from “spot zoning” – or changing the zoning rules for one particular property – which Sych says undermines the purpose of a master plan. “When you make a considerable deviation of the master plan, it weakens the plan itself,” he says. “So if we wanted to do something, we should evaluate the master plan.”

The Mosser project is the second apartment complex in two months to be proposed for the area surrounding the Miller Creek Nature Reserve. The first, which planning commissioners conceptually reviewed in October, is a proposed 60-unit complex on vacant land behind the Baymont Inn between Hartman and South Airport roads. Sych says that project has attractive potential, being located near commercial properties and offering possible sidewalk and trail connections to the Mall Trail along US-31 and to Miller Creek Nature Reserve. “That one, the location looks very well from our standpoint,” says Sych. “It’s a nice fit.” Developers M Brothers Northern LLC have not yet returned with a formal application following the October conceptual review, though Sych notes that planning commissioners raised questions about wetland impacts and sewer and water connections at that meeting that may take developers time to address in project plans.

Bed & Breakfast
A couple with an organic working farm on Hainey Lane near the northeast corner of Cedar Run and Gray roads hope to open a small bed-and-breakfast on the site.

Matthew and Rebecca Ligon are seeking township approval of a special use permit (SUP) to turn a former mother-in-law suite into overnight guest accommodations on their property, called Blended Roots Farm. The couple bought the site in 2014 and started developing an organic farm on the property the following year, producing maple syrup and growing vegetable gardens, sunflower patches, and U-pick flower beds open to the public.

In their application documents, the Ligons say they hope to create walking paths through their expanding sunflower fields with signage and turn the farm into “an educational community experience showing and teaching people how to grow, raise, and produce food for the community and their families.” The bed-and-breakfast “would not only help the farm reach its long-term goals of educating and possibly inspiring visitors from all walks of life, but provide a quiet, peaceful getaway for those looking to enjoy our way of life,” the couple wrote. “This would also showcase Garfield Township for our commitment to putting community and farming first.”

Bed-and-breakfast establishments are permitted on agricultural land in Garfield Township with a SUP. Staff indicated the Ligons’ proposed project appears to meet SUP requirements, including being on owner-occupied property, having no more than eight guests at any time, having adequate on-site parking, not renting out any snowmobiles/all-terrain vehicles/other recreational equipment, and being at least 1,000 feet away from the next closest bed-and-breakfast. If planning commissioners find the application acceptable tonight, they will vote to set a public hearing for January 13, at which time they could approve the bed-and-breakfast’s SUP.

Fox Run
Finally, planning commissioners will consider offering a construction extension to Eastwood Custom Homes tonight for the development group’s planned 84-unit apartment complex called Fox Run on the east side of Garfield Road between South Airport and Hammond roads. The complex is planned to include 84 two-bedroom apartments on approximately 4.3 acres of land, with amenities including a walking trail, dog park, and three playgrounds. The project was approved as a planned unit residential development (PURD) by planning commissioners in early spring 2019, giving developers two years from that date to begin construction and make meaningful progress toward completion. Developers can seek a one-year extension of that deadline if they can provide evidence they will be able to start construction and make meaningful progress before the third year is up.

According to Eastwood Custom Homes President William Clous, the pandemic and loss of labor caused by COVID-19 forced construction to be delayed this year. He is requesting a one-year extension of his PURD through April 2022, noting in a memo to the township that he intends to break ground in May 2021 and work towards completion in the following months. Township staff are supportive of the extension, agreeing in a memo to the board that “the ongoing pandemic has certainly been identified as causing many disruptions across all industries and is certainly a factor beyond the control of the applicant.”

Pictured: Garfield Township Hall