Planning Commission approves 38-unit Wheeler townhome project on Dean Lake with tree-protection and sidewalk conditions

The Grand Rapids Planning Commission voted Sept. 11 to approve Wheeler Development Group’s plan for a 38-unit townhome development on approximately 6.3 acres along Dean Lake Avenue NE.

Planning staff told commissioners the project includes eight four-unit buildings and one six-unit building, oriented toward a private internal drive, with 56 garage spaces plus 12 guest spaces. The staff report said the site contains about 184 trees in the development area and that roughly 45 percent are “desirable species,” including sugar maples and red oaks; staff noted many of the trees slated for removal are mature and exceed 30 inches in diameter. “There are 184 trees within the development area,” planning staff said during the presentation, and urged the commission to weigh whether the design avoids “unnecessary removal of existing trees.”

Developer Ryan Wheeler told the commission his team adjusted the site layout after early surveys to preserve three small tree pockets and to reduce grading in sensitive areas. “We went back, moved some buildings, changed some grades so that we could maintain these smaller pockets,” Wheeler said, adding the units will be built and leased as rentals initially.

Neighbors at the public hearing raised traffic and safety concerns, citing the proximity of the project driveway to a signalized intersection and the lack of contiguous sidewalks along portions of Dean Lake. Paul Longo, who lives north of the site, said drivers on Dean Lake ‘‘are coming extremely fast’’ and asked whether the access point could instead be placed on Knapp Street. Several condominium owners submitted letters and a petition opposing the single access point on Dean Lake and asking for greater buffering.

The city traffic engineer told the commission that Dean Lake carries roughly 6,600–7,300 vehicles per day in recent counts and that a standard trip-generation model estimates the 38-unit development would produce about 317 vehicle trips per day and roughly 25 peak-hour movements. He said aligning the proposed driveway across from the condominium driveway improves safety by creating a single intersection and that the corridor still falls below the typical two-lane capacity threshold of 10,000 vehicles per day.

Commissioners and staff negotiated specific conditions before voting. The approved resolution requires a tree protection and root-protection plan, a landscape buffer along the northern property line meeting zoning requirements, a public-sidewalk easement along Dean Lake (constructed on private property because of existing grades), and limited construction hours. The commission also directed staff to require reduced drive-aisle widths at the entry (24 feet) and narrower internal aisle widths where the fire marshal and city engineer allow, to preserve green space and slow vehicle speeds.

The commission voted in favor of the special land use and site plan, with the motion carrying after amendments that maintain proposed setbacks and add the landscape/screening language. The applicant must obtain all required city permits before tree removal or construction and comply with the conditions set in the resolution.

The Planning Commission minutes record that the approval will take effect 16 calendar days after the decision unless appealed; follow-up items include submission of the tree-protection plan, a final landscape plan demonstrating the north buffer, and recorded sidewalk easements.

The project’s next procedural step is submittal of signed and stamped construction plans and permits to the city; neighbors and the developer said they plan to continue dialogue about final site details.