Walker planning commission recommends approval of Waterford Reserve plat, sets conditions on drainage, trees and easements

The Walker Planning Commission on June 12, 2025 recommended approval to the City Commission for the final preliminary plat of Waterford Reserve, a roughly 29-acre portion of the Waterford Village planned unit development at 3487 Lake Michigan Drive NW, that would create 52 single‑family lots. The motion passed with conditions requiring the applicant to resolve city-engineering items, record easements and covenants, submit sealed civil plans and clear dead trees noted by neighbors.

The recommendation follows prior approvals for the overall Waterford Village PUD: a preliminary area site plan in 2021, final area site plan approval by the planning commission in December 2023, and a city commission approval of the tentative preliminary plat in January 2024. Planning Director Paula Priebe told commissioners this is the last planning-commission review; the city commission now must give final approval before building permits and construction begin.

Why it matters: The plat divides the northern portion of Waterford Village (zoned RPD-1) into 52 lots and introduces a two-phase build plan that residents said could affect stormwater, tree buffers and neighborhood access. Commissioners and city engineering staff flagged several technical and neighborhood concerns — chiefly drainage modeling, a large water transmission main along the north property line, easement recording and removal of dead trees in the buffer line.

Details of the proposal and conditions - Layout and phasing: The plat as presented splits construction into two phases. Phase 1 contains 11 lots that front on existing Marlborough Street and use existing street frontage and utilities; phase 2 requires construction of new roads and full utility infrastructure. The plat itself is advanced as a single document even though construction may be phased. - Lots and acreage: The parcel for this final preliminary plat is approximately 29 acres and would be divided into 52 single‑family detached lots; 11 lots are identified in phase 1. - Easements and trees: The plan shows front-yard public/private utility easements, rear-lot stormwater easements and a hashed no‑build/no‑clearing area along the northern and eastern edges. Commissioners required recorded copies of all easements before issuance of building permits. The commission added a condition that “all dead trees so referenced at tonight's meeting shall be cleared” and that the developer designate a point of contact for neighbors and city staff about tree and staging concerns. - Landscaping and street trees: The developer provided an escrow to the city to cover purchase and installation of required street trees (one in front of each lot, two on corner lots).

City engineering concerns and requirements City Engineer Scott Connors told the commission staff will continue detailed review after the commission recommendation but listed several items that must be resolved before construction starts: - Stormwater modeling: The city requires hydrologic/hydraulic modeling for the 2-, 10-, 25- and 100-year storms showing post-development flows do not increase runoff impacts off-site. Connors specifically asked for an outlet-control detail for the detention pond and confirmation that post‑development high-water marks will not exceed existing levels. - Drainage capture for east cul‑de‑sac lots: Lots 40–43 (east cul‑de‑sac) currently drain to backyard swales that are not captured in the proposed storm system; Connors recommended an additional catch basin at the rear property corner for Lots 41 and 42 or an alternate design that does not rely on directing roof drains to front yards. - Kent County Drain Commission easement: A north‑south Kent County Drain Commission easement across Lots 21 and 4 may be difficult to remove; the commission must see resolution of that easement before construction begins. - Water transmission main and sewer elevations: A 30-inch water transmission line runs along the north property line and sanitary sewer will need to be routed under or around it. The city asked for elevations and utility sections to confirm constructability ahead of work. - Adjacent grading verification: Connors requested updated contours/field checks for the adjacent Waterford apartment complex (Buildings 37 and 39) where existing grade depiction appears inaccurate to ensure no adverse impacts on those buildings.

Public comment and developer response Neighbors raised concerns at the public hearing about dead trees in the hedgerow abutting golf-course property, standing water behind lots 32–36, construction staging and traffic impacts on Marlborough and nearby Lincoln Lawns, and a request for no‑parking signs at an S‑curve on a connecting street. - Resident Mark Herd (Sunrise Lane) asked whether the new developer would be required to address numerous dead trees along the north hedgerow that were previously promised to be removed. Planning staff and the developer agreed to discuss those trees and the commission required dead‑tree removal as a condition. - Residents said construction on phase 1 would intensify vehicle movements and might temporarily restrict access; commissioners and staff noted that phase‑1 frontage on Marlborough means staging and construction traffic will affect that street and advised coordination between the developer and the city. - Developer representatives said homes in phase 1 would be similar to recent nearby product, with price commentary from developer Randy Cucci indicating lots would support homes “in the $500,000 to $600,000 range, maybe up to $700,000 for a larger house.” (Attribution: Randy Cucci, developer.) - Excel Engineering’s John Male (civil engineer) said the team would work with city engineering and the Kent County Drain Commission on storm-sewer and outlet details and that they intend to run calculations showing future flows are less than or equal to current conditions, per Drain Commission standards.

Formal commission action Case 25‑006: The commission moved to recommend approval of the final preliminary plat for Waterford Reserve at 3487 Lake Michigan Drive NW, subject to conditions including addressing all items in the city engineer’s report dated 06/12/2025, obtaining final Kent County plat board acceptance, recording plat restrictions and covenants (including homeowners‑association co‑ownership of common areas) before building permits, recording all shown easements prior to building permits, submitting two sets of sealed civil engineered plans, and clearing all dead trees noted at the meeting and designating a developer contact for neighbors. The motion maker was Commissioner Scott; the motion was supported by Commissioner Pat. The motion was amended to require the city engineer’s satisfaction with responses to his report and to include a stipulation that the trail connection be located as far north as reasonably possible given engineering constraints. The motion passed (commission recorded “Aye” and “Motion carried”).

What’s next This planning-commission action is a recommendation; the final preliminary plat and required recorded documents will go to the Walker City Commission for final approval. Building permits and individual-lot construction cannot proceed until the recorded easements, covenants and required civil plans are provided to the city and the engineering conditions are satisfied.

Ending note: The planning director and city engineer emphasized that staff-level red-line reviews and condition compliance will address many of the detailed design and utility questions raised tonight before any construction begins.