WHITEHALL — Whitehall Township’s planning commission met Wednesday evening to continue discussions about the proposed Hickory Knoll Estates planned unit development (PUD). This topic has been discussed with both the planning commission and township board for a while, but has received some backlash from township residents who are concerned about various issues they believe could be raised by the estates, the main issues being traffic flow and water access.
The developer has been in contact with the Muskegon County Road Commission to get opinions on how to handle changing traffic in the potential new housing spot. The planning commission and developer have shared desires of conducting a traffic study on Durham Road. With there being an estimated 72 units in the project, surrounding residents have expressed concerns about how an extreme increase in traffic would affect the flow and safety of Durham Road. There have been discussions about lowering the speed limit, and/or adding a left or right turn lane. The developer and township hope to conduct the traffic study within the next two months.
The developer has also been in contact with the City of Whitehall Department of Public Works regarding water for Hickory Knoll. The developer anticipates having to tap into the city’s water supply, which has sparked concerns with other Durham Road residents about costs and how a water switch would also affect them. These concerns stem from a few years ago, when township residents were unexpectedly required to switch to the city’s sewer, which was costly. After discussing costs, the representative at the meeting said the developer would cover all costs for tapping into the city’s water. Before making any decisions, the township is requiring any Hickory Knoll statements like this to be submitted in writing by the developer.
To allow the developer and township to do more research, and hopefully get more answers, the planning commission has decided to table any conversations about Hickory Knoll for two months, until their regularly scheduled meeting April 2.
The next Whitehall Township planning commission meeting will take place at 6 p.m. March 5.
