On the heels of announcing the opening earlier this month of The Flats of Acme Village – a 60-unit upscale leased condo development near the Holiday Inn Express & Suites in Acme Township – the Granger Group is planning another Mt. Hope Road project. Called The Grove at Acme Village, the residential development is planned to include two three-story buildings with 96 total apartments.

Acme Township planning commissioners were set to discuss the Granger Group’s application Monday but pulled the project from the agenda. John Iacoangeli of Beckett & Raeder, which provides consulting services to the township, submitted his review of the project after the meeting packet was already posted. His report highlighted several outstanding issues the Granger Group needs to address and recommended postponing approval. The development team thus signaled they planned to skip Monday’s meeting, with planning commissioners then pulling the project from the agenda. A special planning commission meeting has been scheduled for January 27 at 7pm.

According to the site plan application, The Grove (pictured, rendering) will feature two buildings each containing 48 units on Mt. Hope Road. Apartments will include a mix of one and two-bedroom units ranging from 691 to 1,062 square feet. According to Iacoangeli, the site is zoned Mixed Housing Neighborhood (MHN), which allows a density of up to 12 dwellings per acre. With just over four acres of developable land, the development would normally be limited to 48 units. However, another 14 acres are being transferred to the parcel as a conservation easement.

That acreage couldn’t be developed, but it would bring the total parcel size up to 18 acres – increasing the allowed density to 216 units. Although the land transfer will “significantly increase the total number of units, the project site is limiting the number (to 96) based on height and parking requirements,” Iacoangeli noted. The Granger Group plans to have 120 parking spaces on the property. Iacoangeli cautioned that the proposed density and apartment unit count are predicated on the land transfer, which “has not been legally described or included in this site plan package. Further, the township should decide if the land transfer property should be dedicated as parkland or if the conservation easement should be granted to the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy.”

Iacoangeli highlighted several other issues, including site plan adjustments, lighting, dumpsters, pavers, and a soil erosion and sedimentation plan. He also noted that there’s a topographic difference between The Grove property and the adjacent Juniper Hills condo development. “The proposed height of the applicant’s buildings should be compared against the elevation of the Juniper Hills condo property to determine if there are issues with privacy,” he wrote.

Iacoangeli said that previous discussions about reducing the speed limit on Mt. Hope Road – which came up during the The Flats of Acme Village review – should be revisited. “This takes on additional significance due to the proposed number of trips associated with the proposed project,” he wrote. Finally, Iacoangeli cited concerns that the overall site “has very little useable open space or site amenities for residents. A significant portion of the site is impervious.” A potential solution, he said, could be to relocate the parking – shown now to be between the two buildings – and move the buildings closer together with a shared courtyard/outdoor common area in the middle for tenant use.

According to the Granger Group, The Grove will “bring a new residential living option to the area that aligns with the (township) zoning and master plan.” The apartments are intended to appeal to local workers, the application states, offering “a walkable community with connection to the TART Trails system and to other off-site amenities, such as parks, trails, and access to an abundance of open space to walk pets.” The development team also touted the project’s proximity to goods and services in Acme, including “restaurants, health clubs, food markets, doctor’s and professional offices, senior housing, hospitality, and personal care salons.”