More residential housing could soon be coming online in Grand Traverse County, with two multi-family developments on deck in Acme and Blair townships.

Acme Township planning commissioners will review a site plan tonight (Monday) for the Acme Village Flats, the next phase in the Acme Village planned development. Applicants the Granger Group are proposing to build 10 single-story buildings, each containing six residential units for a total of 60 flats (pictured, rendering). The development would be built on a 10-acre field off Mt. Hope Road east of the Holiday Inn Express & Suites.

“We are excited for this development because of all the elements it has going for it,” the Granger Group wrote. “The fantastic location with views to the bay, access to shoreline parks, commerce, and beyond. The serene northern feel, abundant with nature, wetlands, and trails are sure to inspire the market to embrace it.” Acme Village Flats will offer a “residential rental product type with various unit layouts and sizes ranging from approximately 1,300-1,600 square feet,” the group wrote, including both two-bedroom/two-bathroom and three-bedroom/three-bathroom units.

The Granger Group said Acme Village Flats will offer connectivity “to adjacent developments and neighborhoods using sidewalks and shared-use paths,” and that “special attention has been given to implement low-impact stormwater practices, including bioretention gardens and swales.” The group said that “removal of the invasive plants and the integration of native species will create a landscaping appearance and character that will enhance the feeling of connectedness to the surrounding areas for the community at large, while also creating a comfortable sense of security.”

The Granger Group has already worked on securing other key approvals ahead of the planning commission’s site plan review. In December, the group received township approval to amend the Acme Village planned development (PD) to use the Mt. Hope Road parcel for multi-family housing instead of national retail use, as was originally approved. The amended PD also allows for duplexes to be built in the future further down Mt. Hope Road on parcels originally approved for office, mixed-use, and multi-family/senior housing. That area, when developed, could have up to 88 duplexes, but is not part of tonight’s site plan review.

The Granger Group reached an agreement with the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians for water services for the development. Multiple other agencies have signed off or given preliminary approvals to the project, including the Grand Traverse Metro Fire Department, the Grand Traverse County Department of Public Works, the Grand Traverse Environmental Health Department, the Grand Traverse County Road Commission, and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy.

Lt. Brandon Brinks from the Grand Traverse Sheriff’s Office reviewed the plans and said there were no concerns from his perspective, except that he would “support a study for the reduction of the speed limit on (Mt. Hope Road) between US-31 and M-72 due to the motels, bike traffic, businesses, and future development of residential condos, townhouses, and apartments.” Township planning consultant John Iacoangeli also recommended eliminating the right-in-right-out on Mt. Hope Road and making lighting, sidewalk, and landscaping tweaks to the site plan. Assuming township approval, construction on Acme Village Flats could begin this spring, according to project documents.

Across town, another multi-family housing project recently received the green light from Blair Township trustees. Wallick Communities received site plan approval to build eight apartment buildings with 192 total units on just over 16 acres by Chums Corner. The development is slated for vacant land north of Stone House Bread just west of Family Fare and is accessed by a private road – commonly called Prevo Road – off US-31. According to the site plan, the development will feature a mix of one, two, and three-bedroom apartments, as well as a nearly 4,000-square-foot community building. The community building will have a meeting room, kitchen area, two offices, a gym/fitness facility, and maintenance and storage areas.

The project calls for access roads to be built within the development, along with a walking path, several open space areas, and a playground. A proposed future daycare center is also shown on the site plan on the north end of the property with a fenced play area. “This development would help to alleviate some of the burden of affordable housing within our community,” township staff wrote in a report. Staff also noted that township trustees are “researching and learning about a program (payment-in-lieu-of-taxes) that would allow this development to receive partial tax forgiveness as well as state and/or federal funding to allow rental fees to become subsidized allowing for actual affordable housing for the community.”

More development is also on deck in the Chums Corner area. At the same meeting Wallick Communities received site plan approval, trustees approved another site plan for Traverse City Retail Management to build a four-unit, 8,040-square-foot commercial building on vacant property next to Menards. The building will have three retail spaces and a restaurant with a drive-thru and 45 dining seats, according to project documents.