Developer presents Brookwood of Lapeer concept: 117 lots, 4.1 acres of open space; commissioners press on rentals and access

The Lapeer City Planning Commission heard a conceptual presentation Nov. 13 from Allen Edwyn Homes on the Brookwood of Lapeer, a proposed 30.34-acre single-family condominium community that the developer said would include 117 lots and roughly 4.1 acres of central open space.

Ben Keller, planning staff, told the commission this meeting was a nonbinding conceptual review (step 1) and that any formal approvals would require preliminary and final site-plan submissions and City Commission action. "There is no vote to approve or deny this conceptual plan tonight," Keller said.

Aaron Bessemer, representing Allen Edwyn Homes, described the layout as a phased project with sidewalks on all streets, pathways that could yield a roughly one-mile walking loop, a playground and a proposed soccer field in a central green. "It's a total of 30.34 acres, 117 lots total," Bessemer said.

Dan Larrivell, the developer's product representative, outlined the housing product: multiple floor plans with typical homes of about 1,800–2,200 square feet, three to four bedrooms and two-stall garages. He described energy-efficiency measures and said list price points for new homes were currently "$350 to 400" thousand.

Residents and commissioners focused on rental concentrations and traffic. Resident Wesley Weber asked whether the project would involve state-subsidized housing through the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) and whether the development would increase the share of subsidized renters in the neighborhood. Larrivell replied, "We don't have any MSHDA subsidized housing. We do build rental houses ... and we don't intend to work with low income housing." He added that rental units in the existing Brookwood phase number about six and are "sprinkled in."

Commissioners repeatedly asked whether the developer planned to seek public incentives. Larrivell described tax increment financing (TIF) as the likely mechanism to bridge higher construction and lot costs and to deliver housing targeted to households at roughly 80–120% of area median income (AMI). "Today, we price it and it's doubled ... That's where the incentive request is gonna come into play," he said.

On access and construction traffic, commissioners urged a connection from Millville Road to avoid funneling construction vehicles and future traffic through the older neighborhood. Larrivell said that a Millville connection was under discussion and that a Phase 1 alignment likely would include that access.

Keller advised the developer to resolve parcel boundaries and, if necessary, pursue parcel-combination or lot-line adjustments before submitting a formal site plan. The developer said it holds a purchase agreement for only the red block shown in tonight's plans and that other adjacent parcels remain in separate ownership.

Timing: the developer estimated a site-plan application could be ready in a couple of months and suggested a Planning Commission submittal as early as February, contingent on resolving parcel and engineering issues.

Next steps: staff and the applicant were advised to refine the site plan, produce more precise pricing and rental-share information, and address traffic connections and shared stormwater design before a formal site-plan hearing.