Sylvan Township Board to Vote on Pierce/Garvey Rds Rezoning Tuesday (9/13) + Poll Results

Hi Neighbors,

The Sylvan Township Board will be voting on the proposal to rezone the land adjacent to Pierce and Garvey Rds to Multi-family Residential (MR) at their meeting at the township hall on Tuesday, 9/13/22, at 7:00pm. This rezoning, if approved, would create some 21 potential development options on the property including high density housing and commercial. The developer has chosen not to submit his plans at this time, but based on his previous submissions for the same area, future building would be 30 times higher density than the rest of the township and completely inconsistent with the surrounding area. Please attend the meeting, if you are able, to support appropriate development in our community and share your opinions with the Board. The level of resident involvement so far has been extremely helpful.

In a recent post on this site, I created a poll for others to weigh in on two key issues associated with this proposed land use. I committed to sharing the results with you all and with the Board at their upcoming meeting. There were 50 responses allowed on each question using the free version of this polling tool. If the Board would like a larger sample and is willing to pay for an upgraded version, I would be happy to extend the poll. However, it's unlikely more responses would change the following definitive results.

"Should Sylvan Twp approve rezoning a property that will lead to housing density 30 times higher than the rest of our community? Based on this developer's history, this housing would not be affordable for the average Chelsea resident."

84% replied "No, do not approve the rezoning."

"Should the Board continue reviewing rezoning proposals and high density housing projects without revising the legally outdated Master Plan to reflect our community's current wishes?"

88% replied "No, review the Master Plan now to reflect our community's wishes."

As I previously stated, neither the Planning Commission nor the Board were involved in creating this poll. It's purpose was to provide a brief background to the reader and to efficiently communicate more resident opinions directly to our township officials who need this information to make decisions that are in the best interest of everyone living in Sylvan Township. The questions are written from a resident's perspective (often under-represented at township meetings) but were carefully researched and completely accurate.

As an update, vocal encouragement from our community is having a positive impact. At their July meeting the Sylvan Township Planning Commission agreed to review the outdated Master Plan and revise selected sections. I commend them for this action and encourage their team and the Board to continue listening to residents and developing our beautiful township appropriately. (Note: watch for upcoming PC and Board agendas and notices about the Sylvan Township Master Plan review as this will be an excellent opportunity for all residents to provide input.)

Thanks to all and hope to see you Tuesday, 9/13, at the Township hall around 7pm!