Planning commission approves Kensington West PUD changes, reducing total units

The Holland City Planning Commission voted to approve the Kensington West site plan and the amended planned unit development (PUD) resolution after staff recommended the changes.

Applicant Representative (speaker 1) told the commission the 48.82-acre Homestead Village parcel will drop from 338 units under the 2003 approval to 183 units in the proposed amendment. “We're down to 183, so that's a reduction of about a 155 units,” the applicant said, adding the change mostly came from eliminating the 166 apartment units originally proposed and increasing single-family detached units from 44 to 142.

City staff (Steve) summarized other key changes and conditions. The applicant agreed to repave and widen shared alleys — including Pickwick Lane — to 20 feet after homes are built, and presented a traffic-impact report recommending the city and MDOT stripe a right-turn lane at southbound M-40 at Main Street. Staff told the commission the plan meets PUD rezoning criteria and that the project’s density (about 5.9 units per acre) satisfies the conventional PUD minimum.

The plan preserves more than 52% open space — roughly 25 acres — and retains a wetland conservation area of about 17 acres originally protected by an agreement referenced in the materials. The applicant described a central playground and interconnected open-space corridors, plus a natural path along a southern stormwater area that will provide scenic access from Winchester.

Commissioners asked about unit types, setbacks and traffic. The applicant said most townhomes are rear-loaded, many single-family lots are larger than the previous approval, and that some lots are slightly smaller (41 lots) than before. On the wetland and protected areas, the applicant noted the new layout avoids wetland delineation areas. A traffic consultant’s recommendation to stripe an existing wide shoulder as a right-turn lane will be pursued with MDOT and the city.

A commissioner moved to approve the site plan and amended PUD resolution with the staff conditions; another commissioner supported the motion and the chair called for the vote. The record shows a verbal “aye” and no opposing votes were recorded on the transcript. The commission then moved to the next agenda item.

The commission’s approval allows this amended development plan to proceed, subject to the conditions listed in the staff report and any subsequent city-council requirements. The applicant, staff and commissioners said they will continue coordination on final engineering, alley repaving and any MDOT actions related to the roadway stripe.