Saline City Council grants preliminary approval for Ridgewater Townhomes development despite public concerns over traffic, environmental impact, and building height.

Image: Danny Vera of Livonia Builders speaks to the Saline City Council at its Octobwer 7, 2024, meeting. City video screenshot.

At the October 7, 2024, Saline City Council meeting, the proposed Ridgewater Townhomes development cleared an important hurdle with the approval of its preliminary Planned Unit Development (PUD).

The project, brought forward by Livonia Builders, seeks to construct a 51-unit multi-family housing development at the intersection of North Ann Arbor Street and Saline Waterworks Road.

The Ridgewater Townhomes development spans approximately 7.35 acres and includes a mix of building types. It will feature stacked townhome units and one-story homes, with structures varying from two to three stories in height. According to Carlisle Wortman Associates, the development’s five multi-family buildings will preserve some of the site’s natural vegetation, and garages for each unit will be positioned at the rear of the buildings and will be accessible via Ridgewater Drive​.

Despite the project’s approval, public concern over several aspects of the development was evident throughout the meeting. One expressed confusion over whether the units would be rental properties or owner-occupied condominiums, noting the ambiguity in the developer’s documents. “It is unclear to me whether this is going to be a development of 51 townhomes that will be owner-occupied or will they be rental units,” she said. Livonia Builders’ Danny Vera later clarified during the meeting that the current plan is for the units to be rentals, though that could change​.

Several citizens raised concerns about the size and impact of the development on the surrounding area. Another resident highlighted potential traffic problems, saying, “Creating a 51-apartment complex right next to the Brecon Village area and across the road from a large neighborhood of well over 300 houses will create more traffic issues. We already have a lot of them.” They also mentioned the potential environmental impact, including dangerous runoff to nearby wetlands​.

During the council’s discussion, City Manager Colleen O’Toole explained the PUD process for the public. “What that means is they’ve presented a plan that either meets or has the potential to meet our PUD requirements,” she said. O’Toole added that several conditions must be met before final approval, including a comprehensive traffic study and additional landscaping.

Vera responded to concerns about the building height, explaining that while some of the buildings will appear to be three stories tall, this is due to the topography of the site. “In the front…what everybody you’ll see on Ann Arbor-Saline Road is exactly that, a two-story structure just like what’s across the street,” he said.

The council approved the preliminary PUD unanimously. As Mayor Brian Marl noted during the meeting, “Many of the questions and concerns that were raised…ought to be addressed and resolved between now and the final site plan approval process.” He emphasized that the preliminary PUD approval is merely a conceptual step, and more detailed plans will need to be reviewed in the future​.

The next phase of the Ridgewater Townhomes project will involve addressing the conditions set forth by the planning commission, including the completion of traffic and engineering studies, before final PUD approval can be considered.