The St. Joseph Township Board of Trustees has narrowly denied approval to a mixed used commercial and residential development proposed for the Nye’s Apple Barn site at 3151 Niles Road.
At a Monday meeting, trustees considered two requests from property owner John Nye. One was for a special use permit, and the other was for a planned unit development that would have allowed for the project. Trustees approved the special use, but denied the planned unit development, killing the entire proposal because the two went hand in hand.
Township Supervisor Roger Seely supported the development and told us it’s now back to the drawing board for Mr. Nye.
“We want to grow our township, and we need housing, and so we’ll just see what happens,” Seely said.
The development would have included a 48-unit apartment complex, a gas station and convenience store, two fast food restaurants, a dog park, and a welcome center with RV parking.
Trustees had to consider whether the project would meet several requirements laid out in the zoning ordinance to qualify for the two requests. It all boiled down to the effect it would have on the surrounding area.
Township Clerk Patrice Rose expressed several reservations and told us she’s sympathetic to the nearby residents who have come out in force to oppose the project.
“We’ve in the past talked to Mr. Nye,” Rose said. “We’ve all sat down with Mr. Nye and said, ‘You know, how about like four-plexus or duplexes, something lower and spread out and more harmonious with the other housing that’s there.’ And he’s just not interested in that.”
The development had support from Visit Southwest Michigan, with board chair Mike Nadolski telling trustees at an earlier workshop the group was spearheading the welcome center aspect of it so it could relocate from its Pipestone Road welcome center in Benton Township.
Meanwhile, neighbors said the property should only be used for single-family homes, something that Nye said wouldn’t be economically viable.
