CANTON TWP. — A proposed housing development near Cherry Hill Village is moving forward after township planners gave it the green light amid traffic concerns.
Presented by a developer listed as 1205 Ridge LLC, the Harvest Creek development is proposed for the east side of Ridge Road between Paine Street and Proctor Road and would include 18 single-family homes on a seven-acre site.
At about 2,500 square feet, each home would feature three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, a two-car garage, a basement, and a covered front porch, with a price tag around $450,000, according to planning commission documents.
Most of the development is concentrated on the north half of the site, with one public entrance proposed on South Ridge Road.
At a May 5 meeting, the Canton Township Planning Commission for the second time considered a proposed Planned Development District for the project, which was originally presented in November 2024.
At that time, the project was postponed to address several issues, including Wayne County’s requirements for Ridge Road access, drainage and sewer impacts on neighboring properties and a traffic study to assess potential impacts.
While a traffic impact study conducted by engineering consultant Fishbeck concluded that neither a left turn passing lane nor a right turn deceleration lane are warranted, at least one commissioner was skeptical.
“I don’t care what Fishbeck says,” Commissioner Doug Weber said. “I’ve driven Ridge Road. I know the speeds people drive down Ridge Road. I think it’s a mistake if there’s not some sort of a passing lane there to get around cars turning left into there.”
Weber, who ultimately voted to recommend approval of the PDD, urged the developers to take another look at the traffic situation.
“I would highly encourage you to have your traffic engineer look at this more,” he said. “We have concerns. Given the traffic issues we have in this township, I think the concerns are warranted.”
The planning commission voted 6-1 to recommend approval of the Planned Development District (PDD) for Harvest Creek, with Commissioner Gordon Janowski casting the lone vote against it.
“I had a problem with this the first time,” Janowski said. “The density of these lots and the houses themselves…I don’t see that in keeping with Canton Township. Everything’s just all real cramped in there and…I don’t think it really would be a good place to live.”
The project includes several modifications from the initial proposal, including a reduction of lot widths. Some of the lots are narrower than the typical 55 feet, with one as narrow as 41 feet, Canton Community Planner Patrick Sloan noted.
“Although this development is not necessarily in Cherry Hill Village, they’re trying to design somewhat to Cherry Hill Village standards with the exception of the architecture,” Sloan said.
The Harvest Creek plan also aims to preserve natural features, designating 41% of the site as open space, exceeding the 25% minimum required by the PDD ordinance.
The developer will next appear before the Canton Township Board of Trustees. If the PDD is approved by the board, the developer will return to the planning commission for preliminary site plan review.
Contact reporter Laura Colvin: lcolvin@hometownlife.com
This article originally appeared on Hometownlife.com: Proposal moves forward for new Canton homes despite traffic woes
Reporting by Laura Colvin, Hometownlife.com / Hometownlife.com
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