A new plan is being proposed for the use of the Nye’s Apple Barn property on Niles Road in St. Joseph Township.
The St. Joseph Township Planning Commission on Monday considered a request for a planned unit development and special use permit for owner John Nye’s new vision of constructing an apartment building, a gas station and convenience store, restaurants, and a welcome center at the site.
Nye said the property is prime for a development like this.
“It’s a wonderful place in my mind for the apartment, and they’re needed,” Nye said.
Nye’s plan would also include a dog park. He said the idea meets the needs of the area as identified by organizations like Visit Southwest Michigan and Cornerstone Alliance. However, like his previous proposals for the site, nearby residents aren’t having it. Planners Monday heard an earful from them.
“This is a great space for housing, not restaurants, gas station businesses, but owner-occupied dwellings,” one woman said. “A visitor center will draw cars, RVs, etc. from I-94, which will be directly across the Bluffwood, from single-family homes with young children. This is just dangerous.”
Residents had the usual concerns, like traffic and noise. Others said this proposal isn’t in line with the master plan or previous pledges made by the property owners.
Planning commissioners had to consider whether the project would fit the character of the neighborhood. In the end, they moved the proposal forward to the full township board.
Nye will be at the board’s noon workshop on Monday, November 3 to present his request for the special use permit and PUD. The board may vote on it at its 6 p.m. meeting.
