The Leland Township Planning Commission spent a little over 18 months updating the township’s Master Plan before completing the task in February 2008.

 

Since then, commissioners have together information update the township Zoning Ordinance. More recently, the commission has been reviewing the site plan for the proposed Rivertown development in Leland, and it also just approved a request with conditions from the Narrows Land Development Company to amend a planned unit development agreement for the already approved 22-unit Provemont Village project.

 “We’ve been very busy and will continue to be so,” said commission chair Keith Ashley Tuesday morning. The commission’s next regular meeting is Wednesday, March 4 at 7 p.m. in the township office meeting room in Lake Leelanau. Ashley said the commission will continue its review of the proposed 25-unit Rivertown site condominium project on former county-owned property in Leland.

Ashley said the commission began its review of the plan in January, and so far he hasn’t seen anything out of the ordinary for a residential development.

The proposed development’s site plan that includes 13 site condominium units and 12 traditional condominium units. Ashley said the project’s design takes into consideration goals established by a committee of neighboring Leland and township residents for the property, which formerly was the site of the county courthouse.

A copy of the proposed Rivertown plan is available for public review at the Leland Township office located off of St. Joseph Street in Lake Leelanau, next to the Conservation District office.

Ashley said the commission also approved the request from the Narrows Land Development Company to amend Provemont Village’s planned unit development agreement to allow the company to use Unit 23, the existing building on M-204 just east of the bridge over the Lake Leelanau Narrows. The Planning Commission originally approved the PUD agreement in November 2007. Wayne Tyge, president of the Narrows Land Development Company, has delayed starting construction on the project until economic conditions are more favorable.

Tyge asked the township to amend the PUD agreement so he could base his construction company’s business office and other professional office uses in Unit 23. The original agreement only allowed for the building to house a sales office for the Provemont Village development.

Ashley said the commission approved Tyge’s request on the condition that he provides six parking spaces for the building. There is some limited parking in front of the building off M-204, but most of the parking spaces will be located to the north of the building on the development’s property.

Ashley said he has not signed the agreement as yet because Tyge needs to turn in drawings showing where parking spaces will be located. “Once that has happened the agreement will be signed,” he said.

Since the Rivertown review is taking up most of the commission’s attention during its regularly scheduled meetings, Ashley said special meetings have been scheduled on the third Monday of each month to continue work on rewriting the township Zoning Ordinance. He said the commission is incorporating form-based zoning into the Zoning Ordinance. Ashley said the proposed form-based zoning would most likely apply more to the village areas, like Leland and Lake Leelanau, to help preserve the unique character of the areas.

The commission will continue its work on updating the Zoning Ordinance on March 16 at 7 p.m. at the township office.