Planning commission clears removal of corporate-park overlay to enable Canton Oaks multifamily development, developer says units will include housing for adults

The Canton Township Planning Commission voted to recommend removing the Corporate Park Overlay from four parcels on Lotts Road, leaving the underlying MRD (Mid Rise Development) zoning in place — a change planning staff and the applicant said aligns with the township’s master plan and enables a proposed multifamily project called Canton Oaks.

Patrick Sloan summarized staff findings and recommended approval of the overlay removal, noting the master plan encourages removal of the Corporate Park overlay in the Lotts Road corridor and that the proposed MRD district is consistent with surrounding land uses. The applicant, Bruce Michael of 3 Oaks Communities, described a concept plan for roughly 280 condominium units on nearly 25 acres (a concept density of about 11.3 units per acre). Michael said the project’s model includes an integration of units targeted for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities alongside market-rate units and that the firm already works with family groups and service providers to match households and manage long-term operations.

Michael described 3 Oaks’ model as a mixed-ownership condominium community with a homeowners association and professional management; specialized services for residents with disabilities (including an on-site community-builder role) would be funded through households’ service plans and HOA budgets, he said. "We develop for-sale residential communities that include 25–40% of units for adults with developmental disabilities," Michael said, describing prior and current projects and the community support model his firm uses.

Sloan told the commission the concept plan shows wetland and floodplain areas that the proposed development would avoid where possible and that the site is expected to connect to sewer once a planned pump station in the area is brought online. The applicant has supplied a traffic study that recommends signal timing adjustments at nearby intersections; staff said the township’s traffic consultant will review the document as part of future development review.

Public comment at the hearing included neighbors and local supporters who said the project would meet a clear need for housing for adults with disabilities and could create a model the township could replicate; no significant organized opposition to the concept was recorded in the public hearing. The commission moved to recommend approval of removing the Corporate Park Overlay (planning application 049-RZ-8510). The motion, made by Commissioner Janowski and seconded by Commissioner Lee, passed on a unanimous roll call.

Why it matters: the overlay removal is a procedural change that enables a multifamily plan consistent with the master plan and with a specific social-purpose component (integrated housing for adults with developmental disabilities). Staff noted sewer, natural features and traffic will be evaluated in detail during subsequent PDD and site-plan reviews.

Next steps: the recommendation will be sent to the township board of trustees for ordinance consideration; if the board approves, the developer must still complete any required wetland setbacks/permits and obtain PDD/site-plan approvals and permits before construction.