Planning commission postpones Canton Oaks PDD pending traffic-engineering review

The Canton Township Planning Commission on Aug. 4 voted unanimously to postpone action on a preliminary planned development district (PDD) application for Canton Oaks, a proposed multifamily neighborhood on the west side of Lotts Road between Ford and Cherry Hill.

Planning division staff and the project sponsor said the proposal would build 280 multifamily units on a 24.7-acre parcel and include a community building and a mix of units reserved for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) alongside market-rate units. Patrick (Planning Division staff) said the application meets most zoning dimensional standards but recommended postponement so the township’s traffic engineering consultant can complete review of the updated traffic-impact study.

The postponement matters because Canton Oaks sits near several pending developments around the Ford/Lotts intersection and the commission said it lacked the traffic consultant’s affirmative findings required under section 27.04(d)(13) of the zoning ordinance. Patrick told the commission that the township is procuring a traffic-engineering consultant to study the intersection broadly and that Wade Trim, the township’s current reviewer, has already commented on an earlier study and is the likely reviewer for the revised study.

Developer Bruce Michael of 3 Oaks Communities said his company’s model is to include IDD housing in for-sale units and that about 20–25% of units are typically reserved for IDD residents; he said the firm currently has 26 IDD reservations for Canton Oaks and that many IDD units are two-bedroom so a non-IDD roommate can lease the second bedroom. Fiona Doscas of Compass Community Collaborative, a nonprofit of parents of people with intellectual disabilities, told the commission the group aims to place “at least 75 to 80 individuals” in the development and urged support.

Public comment included resident Dan McCausland, who said he supports development and urged the commission not to repeat past mistakes that limited utilities but acknowledged the need to address traffic and infrastructure as development increases.

Commissioners raised technical concerns about wetland setback modifications, parking, emergency access and internal traffic calming. Staff said the zoning ordinance requires 672 parking spaces for the proposed use but staff’s analysis, citing the Institute of Transportation Engineers, showed typical peak demand for a development of this type would be far lower; the applicant proposed 626 spaces and staff said it would support that number and possibly further reduction at final review.

Motion and vote: Commissioner Watkins moved to postpone action on preliminary PDD application 049-PDP-8531 pending review of the most recent traffic impact study by the township traffic engineering consultant; Commissioner Foster supported the motion. The commission voted unanimously to postpone (Yes: Cruz, Foster, Janowski, Lee, Singh, Watkins, Chairperson Zuber).

The applicant may continue working on plans while the township arranges traffic review and will return to the commission after the consultant’s findings are issued. Staff recommended the postponement to allow the consultant to confirm whether the application meets the traffic findings required under section 27.04(d)(13) of the zoning ordinance.