WHITEHALL — The Whitehall Township planning commission granted developers their permit for the Hickory Place planned unit development Wednesday evening after an extensive back-and-forth process that has spanned almost a year. Lead developers Kyle Zack and Mark Williams were present at this meeting to answer any remaining questions the commission and township residents had.
Hickory Place will provide 72 family-style homes near Durham Road. Zack has already submitted various architectural styles for the homes that the township can choose from to ensure the selected style fits well within the community. The lots will be sold individually, with costs estimated to range between $400,000 and $650,000. The project is estimated to take place in five phases, from 2026-33. This will allow construction and the developers to ensure the quality of each home.
Developers plan to break ground on the first few lots lining Durham Road and work their way back, leading towards the nearby Hickory Knoll golf course; while the names are similar, the development is not affiliated with the course. They also intend to clear land as they progress through each lot, rather than clearing them all at once. This was a relief to the commission, which had been concerned with the possibility of unused land if the project were to fall short of completion at some point. Zack also said he would like to preserve as many trees in the area as possible.
Zack and Williams addressed the biggest concerns that have been discussed at recent meetings, mainly revolving around the sewer and water for the new homes. The commission wanted to ensure that should the developers plan on tapping into the City of Whitehall’s water line, the surrounding residents on Durham Road would not bear the expenses. This concern resulted from the same residents being unexpectedly required to fund a tap into the sewer main a few years ago. Zack said if the water line were extended, his company would handle the initial costs, but the plan at this point is to drill individual wells for each lot. This would ensure surrounding neighbors would not be affected financially. He also said the health department will perform regular well tests on each lot as construction progresses to ensure they are effective.
In regards to the sewer, the developer said there are already laterals in place off of Durham Road that will cover the lots in phase one, but more laterals will need to be built for the remaining lots. This will not take place until after phase one is completed and they have a goal of construction disrupting surrounding residents as little as possible. The Muskegon Health Department is drafting a letter of approval for the township, and will approve each well and sewer per lot or phase as construction progresses. Both the water and sewer costs will be fronted by Zack's company and will eventually be built into the price of each home.
The commission voiced concerns that the homes would not sell the way Zack hopes they will due to their relatively high cost. However, a real estate agent in the audience said given other homes in nearby municipalities near water, such as in Norton Shores, this cost seems fair. Zack said he originally favored a subsidized housing project, but that would have decreased the value of surrounding homes. Developers do plan for Hickory Place to have a homeowners association (HOA) similar to that of Tannery Bay in Whitehall.
At the request of the commission, the developers requested and conducted a traffic study by Muskegon County. This estimated how many cars would be entering and leaving the development each day, and how the increase in traffic would affect Durham Road and surrounding residents. The study concluded no drastic changes would be immediately necessary. A Durham Road resident did propose the idea of turning the Durham and Crystal Lake Road intersection into a three-way stop to increase safety, but no action was taken on that proposal.
To address other concerns presented at past meetings, developers also moved the location of the development's clubhouse closer to the back. They also changed the location of both the entrance and exit to the subdivision. Both would decrease disruption in daily life to surrounding neighbors. Zack ensured the commission and residents that all he wanted at this meeting is approval of the permit with conditions. The commission granted him this long-awaited permit with the conditions of him having to follow all township, county and state ordinances. They are also requiring him to submit proof or documentation of each well test they complete during construction.
A separate developer proposed - and was approved for - a high-end rental storage unit development, similar to that of Put n' Store in Montague. The units would be large enough to store average-sized boats or RVs. Features would include heat, electricity and security lights. Each unit will measure approximately 18 feet tall, and 50 by 100 feet. Two lots were proposed, with four storage units in each. It was recommended by the commission there be a fence surrounding it, to prevent non-renters from parking there. It is unknown currently how much each unit will cost.
