College Township weighs potential impacts of proposed Aspen Heights student housing
In response to College Township homeowners who are worried that a proposed student housing development will affect their community and a nearby nature preserve, council is slowing down to review potential consequences.
Slated for the former Hilltop Mobile Home Park, the Aspen Heights Squirrel Drive land development proposes two, four-story residential buildings and some commercial space. Though the development could help revitalize an otherwise vacant property and provide some workforce housing, residents fear the project will lead to increased pollution and disturb their neighborhoods.
In a letter sent to the township, more than 100 community members asked council to consider solutions to ensure the proposed development would mitigate traffic and adopt policies that would protect Thompson Woods Preserve.
So during Thursday night’s meeting, township council and staff met with the developer to further review the proposed development and address concerns about the preserve, as well as surrounding neighborhoods. No formal action has been taken on the development plan, and council chair Eric Bernier said Thursday’s meeting was meant to familiarize staff with community concerns.
Despite listed prohibited activities at the preserve, residents who actively walk through the site say they often see rules are being broken — citing litter, people smoking and camping. At the current usage level, residents believe the township has been unable to enforce guidelines outlined in the preserve management plan and the development will only worsen the problem.
“Therefore, we are very concerned that the substantial increase in foot/bike traffic that will result from housing a large number of young people at the former Hilltop site will further overwhelm the College Township’s enforcement efforts,” residents wrote.
In the letter, they added that the increase in traffic is “especially likely” if residents of the proposed site are given access to the preserve through a gate in the fence and if Thompson Woods is advertised as an amenity of the development.
Offering six solutions, residents asked the township to allocate funds to increase rules enforcement and maintenance for the preserve, replace the fence between the proposed site and the preserve with a stronger and taller structure, add landscaping that discourages people from climbing over the fence and educate residents that the preserve is a protected area.
Though those who sent the letter are opposed to giving Aspen Heights tenants direct access to the preserve, they asked the township and developers to consider an access point and trail in a planned manner if needed. As a final request, signers asked that a more direct line of responsibility be established over the preserve, so problems can be reported and addressed effectively.
During Thursday’s five-hour meeting, council discussed how the proposed development might impact surrounding neighborhoods’ water pressure and vehicle traffic — which the developer is still determining — as well as environmental impacts. With almost 40 people in attendance at the virtual meeting, some residents asked how council plans to decide whether the project will move forward.
“We’re committed to finding out what the impact is before we take any action, so until we have the information that we’re waiting on to see what the impact is, then I can’t tell you what we’re going to do, other than our general responsibility, which is to protect the integrity of the adjacent properties when this property is developed,” Bernier said.
Council is set to discuss the proposal in future meetings, and Bernier said those conversations will be carried out through open discussions. With degrees of impact and mitigation to consider, Bernier said the plan could be approved with conditions depending on what the findings are.
“Nothing’s going to happen until we get that information,” he added.
This story was originally published March 5, 2021 at 1:39 PM.
