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Board backs village density incentives, asks staff for parcel-level capacity analysis
Summary
Trustees generally supported bonus incentives for owner-occupied units and green-space credits while keeping cautious base densities; staff agreed to run a developable‑acre analysis and to provide parcel-level estimates of potential unit counts in the village and Centennial Park overlay.
Cascade Charter Township trustees continued debate about residential density and incentive tools for the village and Centennial Park overlay during the Oct. 23 work session.
Manager Andrea Smith explained the draft uses developable acres (excluding rights of way, wetlands and steep slopes) to calculate base density and bonus eligibility. She told the board the draft’s village approach sets tiered base densities by parcel size and proposes several density bonuses—on‑site green‑space, off‑site green‑space fund, owner‑occupied incentives (doubling density for small sites where all units are owner‑occupied), and stormwater‑reduction credits—and would cap combined bonuses in the village at a maximum (proposed) of 10 units per developable acre.
Why it matters: The base density and bonus structure determine how many homes could be built in key redevelopment areas, which affects housing supply, neighborhood character, public infrastructure needs and tax base.
Centennial Park: Board members discussed maintaining a modest base for Centennial and using bonuses to encourage redevelopment. Staff summarized a compromise suggestion to retain a base of 12 units per acre in Centennial with bonus options pushing to an upper range (discussion ranged around 18–20 units per acre depending on incentives). Several trustees said they preferred a modest base density with higher bonuses where infrastructure can support growth.
Board direction and data request: Trustees asked staff to produce a parcel‑level, developable‑acre analysis for the village overlay (including the area along Old 28th Street, Cascade Road and the Thornapple River corridor) to produce an approximate maximum unit estimate that factors setbacks, parking, right-of-way and wetlands. Manager Smith said a preliminary calculation using developable acres shows the village could approach “just under 400 units” under the draft math, but she and the board agreed to refine that figure with a formal analysis.
Next steps: Staff will provide a follow‑up analysis before final adoption so trustees can weigh base densities and specific bonus levels with site-level constraints in mind.
