A local organization is appealing a decision from the Brighton Township Board to approve a PUD rezoning for the last undeveloped parcel on Woodland Lake.
The Cove at Woodland Lake from developer Mitch Harris includes eight docks and 39 condos. The Organization of Woodland Lake (OWL), along with neighboring residents, voiced strong opposition to the rezoning request from R-2 to PUD. Trustees, meanwhile, said the changed zoning actually provides greater municipal control over how the property is developed.
The Brighton Township Planning Commission recommended approval, but the Livingston County Planning Commission recommended denial — finding the new zoning designation wouldn’t enhance the quality of the development. The body also recommended working with the developer to ensure the natural features of the area, in particular water quality, are protected.
Trustees approved the rezoning request 5-2 in February, with “no” votes from Patrick Michel and Rose Drouillard. In April, OWL filed an appeal of the decision in Livingston County’s 44th District Court.
In the filing, OWL points to a hypothetical plan submitted by Harris to show a comparison between R-2 and PUD. The submitted plan for R-2, the organization states, didn’t comply with zoning ordinance in terms of lot area, density, configuration, impervious surface coverage and protection of wetlands and natural features — disqualifying the plan as a valid comparison.
The filing also outlines concerns over water quality, traffic, flooding and a lack of reasonable access for emergency services.
What’s wrong with Woodland Lake?
Woodland Lake has suffered for years from runoff, nutrient loading, recreational use and regional growth. OWL is working to restore water quality, and has argued the Cove at Woodland Lake will further degrade conditions.
OWL is a volunteer, resident-led organization that’s been monitoring water quality at Woodland Lake since 1994, according to John Boland.
Boland previously told officials that Woodlake Lake averaged about 482 micro siemens of electrical conductivity between 1994 and 2011, an indicator of contamination. There was a significant increase between 2012 and 2023, with the lake averaging 740 micro siemens of conductivity without the Grand River Drain. Including the drain, the number rises to 948 micro siemens.
Phosphorus, chlorides and nitrates from the Grand River Drain are significant contaminators, Boland said. There’s also been an increase in ammonia levels. OWL has been using phoslock and timber char to help improve water clarity, which has dropped significantly since 2017.
Limnologists say nitrogen, phosphates, algae and boat churn are driving clarity issues, according to OWL, in addition to fewer ice-over days during the winter months and an increase in boating density.
The appeal has been assigned to Judge Susan Longsworth. The next hearing is June 18.
— Contact reporter Tess Ware at tware@livingstondaily.com.
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: OWL takes legal action to prevent development on Woodland Lake
Reporting by Tess Ware, Livingston Daily / Livingston Daily
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