The trucks that come into D&W for deliveries currently use the intersection of Lakeside and Greenwood to orient their trailer to back down shopping center drive to the delivery bay. It is very difficult to consider a multi car garage with its traffic flow and a loading bay all using Shopping Center drive with functional flow. This are needs a traffic study and planning.
Green space and mature trees are critical to the health and vibe of the EGR community. The businesses in Gaslight Village rely on the planters and the city-planted trees along Wealthy St and the condo and apartment complex have mature well kept trees on their properties. With the Gaslight investors project being a combination of businesses and housing all on PUD property it is reasonable to expect some green space and trees that will grow to substantial size to be planted as part of that development. The census area that the development site is located in has a tree equity score of 100, https://www.treeequityscore.org/map#12.38/42.93931/-85.60796, which means that there is just over 50% canopy coverage. The tree canopy is critical to managing heat disparity. This development will absorb and radiate heat and it is critical that there are trees to aid in managing that heat. Our communities tree program is a bright star in shining our community’s values and this development is expected to blend in with our values. I feel strongly that tree plantings needs to be a contingency for tax deferment for the gaslight investors project.
The 9 story height topic is one that has residents feeling unsettled. I think because there are 2-3 other buildings planned that are 4-5 stories tall that it might be okay. What we want to avoid is a Grand Traverse Resort feel where there is one stark building that towers over its surroundings. The overall height increase would invite the highschool height to be increased which I think would be a good solution for expansion. I appreciate the charming and quaint feel of the development that replaced Hudson’s. The “slope up” feel of the buildings and quaint styling; I feel strongly that those should be contingencies for tax deferment.
It’s anticipated that shopping center drive will be widened with the development. I expect that what will be left is still some city-owned outlawn and the parcel 511 Lakeside Dr that is owned by Gaslight investors. That will mean multiple trees will likely need to be removed. Tree clean up (there are quite a few healthy trees currently and some dying ones) and tall tree plantings in the remaining space are highly desired. It is also desired to have native plantings similar to plantings in Waterfront park as opposed to grass. The nature trees and native plantings provide mutually beneficial privacy between the development and Lovett neighbors. Currently there are no coniferous trees on the city’s planting list, if there is space, intermixing eastern white pines with current healthy trees is highly desirable for year round privacy. A collaboration between gaslight investors, the city, and Lovett neighbors seems reasonable to accomplish this goal. I strongly feel that green privacy between the 5 northeast Lovett homes and the development needs to be a contingency for tax deferrment for this development.
In anticipation of increased population and pedestrians….it appears that there is plenty of sidewalk infrastructure on Wealthy St and within the development, on the “backside” there is a gap of sidewalk and crossings along the Greenwood side of 526 Lovett property. Sidewalks and crossings have not been placed there historically due to location of water and sewer infrastructure equipment. Perhaps a development of this size will force change of this infrastructure anyway.
D&W…I’ve learned that with the lease agreement that no change can be expected for at least 10-11 years. That timing seems actually good. That gives the gaslight investors housing and business development to get settled over the next 4-6 years. The disparity at that time will be so obvious there possibly will be pressure to change the look at feel there. I would like the master plan to note that the desire of the community is to have a more walkable for the street storefront with parking in the back for this area.
In urban areas, cooling solutions during the summer are critical for the health of a community. An urban splashpad in the master plan in gaslight village would exemplify this forward thinking. Zeeland Splashpad is a good reference example. https://maps.app.goo.gl/WYJ9sQdGRRnTvni37?g_st=com.google.maps.preview.copy Where space serves as open community space during the non-summer part of the year and the sprayers are artistic serving as decorative art/sculptures.
Lastly school impact of the gaslight development….it would be helpful to have an estimate of potential family size of tenants and owners that will move into these new units. Perhaps those numbers would provide perspective on the question for the EGRPS such as: Will boundary lines for elementary schools need to be redrawn? Will EGRPS still have the same percentage of school-of-choice students? Will EGRPS keep the golden triangle still within the school district? What number of family-size homes are anticipated to become available because there is an in-community downsize option and what estimated impact is there to EGRPS student population? Having this type of info in the master plan helps residents and EGRPS families plan for their futures.