Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Housing Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Canton approves 180‑unit ‘Viva Benet’ senior housing plan with conditions; wetlands and ponding raised by trustees
Summary
The board approved Resolution 25‑25 to allow a 180‑unit housing‑for‑the‑elderly development at Ford Road and Gorman Road with conditions including increased open space and roadway improvements; trustees questioned reduced wetland setbacks, detention basins near cottages, mosquito concerns and requested local wetland mitigation where feasible.
Canton Township trustees on July 22 approved the final Planned Development District (PDD) and site plan for a 180‑unit housing‑for‑the‑elderly project, branded in materials as Viva Benet, at the southwest corner of Ford Road and Gorman Road.
The motion to adopt Resolution 25‑25 was made by Clerk Seager, supported by Treasurer Slavens, and passed by voice vote. The approved project covers about 17.25 acres and proposes 140 independent‑living units in a three‑story main building plus 40 attached cottage units arranged as 17 two‑unit cottages and two three‑unit cottages.
The developer committed to several public‑benefit elements described in the application and staff report: paving Gorman Road to the project entrance with a reconstructed approach providing dedicated right and left turn lanes onto Ford Road; extending sidewalk along the south side of Ford Road to connect with existing sidewalks; adding turn lanes at Canton Center Road and Ford Road; maintaining more than 25% of the site as open space; and on‑site amenities including a pool, pickleball court, bocce courts and a dog park. The planning commission recommended approval on July 7.
Trustees raised multiple design and environmental questions during the meeting. One trustee asked about wetland setbacks: the plan proposed setbacks smaller than the township’s typical 25‑foot requirement. Staff and the applicant said stormwater basins will be larger than county minimums; engineering adjustments during final design are expected to increase the finished separation between basin storage elevations and residences. The project’s engineer, Joe Christopher of Spalding deDecker, said Wayne County had expressed a preference for wet‑bottom basins but the developer is open to dry‑basin options and will continue to refine design with county review.
Questions were also raised about wetland mitigation credits; the developer, Matt Quapas of Avenue Development, said mitigation credits had been purchased by a prior developer and are tied to the site, but said the developer would work with the township to locate any additional mitigation within Canton if further credits are required.
The board approved the PDD subject to the conditions set out in the resolution and standard site‑plan requirements, noting that final engineering and county review will refine detention and wetland‑protection measures.
Trustees and staff said the project’s roadway, sidewalk and turn‑lane commitments were community benefits expected to improve traffic flow and connectivity in the area.
