Hannah Farms/Meridian Township Board Update

Dear Neighbors:

I just learned yesterday that the Hannah Farms East project will NOT be on the agenda for the Meridian Township Board meeting of June 20^th.  The developer and the Board have agreed to another extension.  It is now scheduled to be on the agenda for the July 18, 2017 meeting.  Please mark your calendars and plan on attending if at all possible.  Additionally, if you have not yet sent your correspondence to the Board members, please do so at your earliest convenience. 

As a side bar, I am concerned with what I am hearing from the Township Hall.  It would appear that this new Board is falling into a similar pattern of behavior as previous Boards by agreeing to multiple delays, and, therefore providing the developer and land owner an opportunity to lobby the Township officials hard and out of the public eye.  I can’t tell you how many times in past years that the vote for various phases of the development has been taken in July after multiple delays, and, while many families are away on vacation.  Additionally, I have been told by various sources that the Board’s apparent strong position against more student housing has shifted since the last public meeting discussion.  This could only be occurring because of non-public discussions between the developer and our public officials.  Further, if a new plan is being discussed, it should not be evolving in private dialog but going through the Township’s public review process.  Our Township Board has 30 days to act and they should act and not play these delay games with developers, who almost every single time end up getting their way.  This development is a case in point; where is the mixed use, pursuant to the zoning!

As you may know, we have our annual homeowners’ association meeting on Wednesday June 28^th.  We will be  devoting time to discussing this issue and how we might proceed and protect the best interest of  our neighborhood.

Thank you.

Kind Regards,  Joe