Developer Seeks PUD Amendment to Add Senior Units, Asks Village to Waive About $382,874 in Impact Fees

John Ford, representing 3 Leaf Development, asked the Village of Hartland Board of Trustees to amend a planned unit development (PUD) for a proposed senior living campus on Campus Drive to add six units and to reduce certain impact fees.

Ford told the board the amendment would increase the project’s unit count by six — from a previously approved 118 units to 124 — and that the developer had refined the project design and operating assumptions to improve financial feasibility. He said the project is “nearly a $50,000,000 project” and that the developer had reduced costs through value engineering and other steps but still faces a financing gap of about $800,000.

The developer asked the village to limit the fees charged for utilities and related charges to what the project is expected to actually use. Ford said industry and demographic data indicate senior housing uses substantially less utilities per unit than typical single-family or multifamily units — he cited an estimate of roughly 1.2 people per senior housing unit vs. higher averages used in the village fee schedule — and requested the village charge the project about 37% of the utility impact fees that would typically be applied to other housing types. Under the developer’s calculation, estimated total impact fees for the project are $1,265,000; 3 Leaf proposed paying $882,000 (about 70%) and asked the village to waive approximately $382,874 (about 30%).

Trustees discussed the proposal’s elements, including which specific impact fees the developer sought to have reduced or waived. Ford said the developer would pay 100% of DPW impact fees and a full share of fire-related fees, and that the requested reductions were limited to library and parks impact fees and to adjusting regional and village utility fees to match projected use. Board members and staff also noted the PUD language currently requires payment of fees and that changing that language would require amending the PUD through the normal multi-reading process.

Ryan (village staff) explained that the agenda included a first reading of a PUD amendment and that any change to the PUD itself would require additional plan commission and village board readings. He told the board the next procedural step was to set a public hearing; the board voted to set the hearing for July 14, 2025.

Plan commission and staff materials, and a 2023 Rucker Milke impact-fee study cited by the developer, were discussed as sources for comparisons. Matt Bailey, the project civil engineer who attended, was available to answer technical questions about the utility-usage estimates, and staff noted the applicant may pursue the village code’s appeal process to demonstrate actual usage if the board denies a waiver.

The board did not approve any fee waiver or amend the PUD at first reading; trustees set the public hearing for July 14 and discussed next steps for plan and code changes before any final vote.

Ending note: The board emphasized that any change to the PUD language or fee schedule would require further plan-commission review and at least two more village-board readings before becoming effective.