FeedsHospital plan ready for scrutiny
Officials and residents in Northville will get their first glimpse of a plan to redevelop the former Northville Psychiatric Hospital site on Wednesday.
The township board of trustees and the planning commission will host a joint meeting on the issue at 7 p.m. at Northville Township Hall. It will give representatives from Real Estate Interests (REI) Inc. and Schostak Construction an opportunity to outline their plans for the 420 site along Seven Mile Road.
“This meeting is designed to set up the big picture,” said Community Development Director Jennifer Frey. “Then we can go into the details.”
The first portion of the meeting will be dedicated to the project representatives, who will go through their proposal. After that, township consultants and staff will present their concerns, based on how the project relates to the overall plan for the area. Then the two boards will be able to ask questions, Frey said. After that, it will be the public’s turn.
“This is not officially a public hearing, but there will be time for public comment,” she said.
Township Supervisor Mark Abbo said he wanted to get the two boards together at the beginning of the review process to ensure everyone is on the same page with it. The project will still have to go through several public hearings and planning stages at both the planning commission and board of trustee level.
Cooperation between the township and developers has been good so far, he added.
“Both sides have worked diligently to come up with a plan to meet the township objectives,” he said.
Even so, there are still some changes that officials may suggest. REI has proposed additional commercial space in the form of a lifestyle center at the Haggerty and Seven Mile road corridor. They’ve also requested a reduction in the amount of space set aside for senior citizens residences, a reduction in corporate office space and more smaller homes.
“There are a few derivations from our plan,” Frey said. “It will be up to the two boards to determine whether it constitutes a public benefit.”
Abbo said cooperation would be the key to developing the property to the benefit of both sides.
“I’m confident that we’ll be able to work to resolve any issues and move forward,” he said.
