Massive Novi Housing Project Resurrected After 25 Years, Could Include More Housing
In a recent development, a large-scale housing project that had been proposed 25 years ago in Novi, is now being revived and possibly expanded. The Society Hill development, which is situated on nearly 34 acres to the west of Novi Road and south of 12½ Mile Road, has proposed a new conceptual plan that includes 463 housing units. The units comprise 363 apartments within five buildings, each featuring five stories, and a total of 100 townhomes distributed across 16 separate buildings with independent garages.
Increase In Housing Units
The new plan suggests an increase of 33% in the number of units, when compared to previous plans. This was highlighted by councilman Matt Heintz who expressed his concern over the increase in density during the city council’s July 8 meeting. The council acknowledged the increase by approving a motion authorizing the city attorney to prepare an amendment, subsequently leading to a 6-1 decision in its favor.
The Proposed Plan and Its Changes
The resurrected project deviates significantly from its original plan, proposed in 1999 by E & M Inc., both in terms of unit count and in provision for parking. The 1999 proposal consisted of 312 housing units, each no taller than three stories, and parking for 693 vehicles. However, the renewed project calls for a staggering 942 parking spaces to accommodate the increase in the number of units.
The resurrection of the project after two decades has been attributed to a combination of a recession during the early 2000s and the great financial crisis towards the end of the same decade. These factors caused the original plan, which included provisions for 1,359 rooms as defined by the ordinance, and approximately 463 multifamily units, to stall.
Concerns Raised Over New Development
However, the renewed plan has met with several objections from residents residing near the proposed site. Concerns were raised over the increased traffic that the additional 150 units would bring to already congested roads, the potential strain on public resources, and the negative impact on the environment due to the increased density.
Additional objections to the proposed plan included its deviation from several city ordinances such as maximum building length, setbacks, and wetland impacts. However, in almost all of these instances, staff were able to support these deviations with some minor changes or conditions being enforced.
A Way Forward
A way forward seems to be around the corner, spearheaded by Councilmember Dave Staudt. While there are concerns over the massive project, working with the developers on an amended plan might yield better results than the approval of the original 1999 development. The latter would not allow any control over what would be put on the site. However, as Staudt pointed out, “We don’t get to decide when they build things or what they are building, we only decide if we agree with what they are putting there.” He further added, “This has a nicer appearance from the other side of the pond than 1990-style apartments that I wouldn’t want to be looking at. Let’s move forward with a conversation.”
