Laketown Green project tabled for more information

Laketown Township planners have put a 180-unit project on hold while the developer considers input voiced by the commission regarding areas of concern including setbacks, green space and traffic.

The planning commission unanimously voted on Sept. 2, 2026, to table the proposal from Covenant Developments of Grand Rapids to create a planned unit development called Laketown Green. The proposal is to build 98 single-family homes and 82 attached single-family townhouses at 60^th Street (also known as Graafschap Road) and 147^th Avenue.

The development is a half mile north of the Graafschap Fire Department building, 4534 60^th St. and follows a request in August from another developer, JN & MMI Properties, for a development of 217 housing units adjacent to the fire department.

Some definitions

Tabling means the issue may be considered again after the developer has had an opportunity to consider the comments and requests and make changes to the plan. It is not a rejection or an acceptance of the proposal.

A planned unit development – called a PUD – is a special set of agreements that allow a combination of buildings, open space, and activities to occur in an area where zoning might otherwise not allow the use.

Planning Commission Chairperson Chad Nienhuis said the plan fits with the township’s Master Plan, a guide that explains and outlines the township’s goals for future growth and development. Developed by the planning commission from extensive community input, the plan includes a map showing the desired location of each zone.

The Master Plan is not a zoning map. In general, zoning sets rules on how property can be used by establishing areas such as Residential for homes, Agricultural for farming uses, and Commercial for business uses.

The property is zoned R-3 Residential Medium Density. In January 2025, the township board approved changing the zoning from R-1 Rural Estate and R-2 Low Density Residential to R-3, allowing for the possibility of more housing units.

The Sept. 2 meeting

Commissioners on Sept. 2 said Covenant needs to modify its proposal to include deceleration lanes to handle the expected increase in traffic, present an up-to-date traffic study because the plan submitted by developers uses 2023 data, add screening to buffer views, lights and sounds from neighbors, present a plan on lighting to protect neighbors from the glow, improve open spaces and green spaces, and suggested increasing the space between the single-family homes from 7 feet to be closer to the 10-feet setback required by the zoning ordinance.

“The proposed Laketown Green Planned Unit Development has been designed to further the purposes of the PUD provisions by allowing flexibility in site design while preserving substantial open space, natural features, and recreational opportunities,” the developer wrote in documents submitted to the planning commission.

“The development pattern allows residential uses to be clustered in a manner that efficiently utilizes land and infrastructure while preserving significant areas of common open space and stormwater management areas,” the report stated.

The plan includes about 235,810 square feet of common open space, exceeding the ordinance requirement of 54,000 square feet, according to the developer. The calculations include space in detention ponds, which is allowed in the ordinance. The open space includes a community park and gathering area and a pedestrian walking trail.

Commissioners said the single gathering space located in the single-family homes area on the south side of the development would not serve the townhouse residents on the north side of the development.

The project would have municipal water and sewer provided by the Holland Board of Public Works. The extension of water and sewer is paid for by the developer.

The developer said the entire project is designed as a “cohesive residential neighborhood,” though commissioners disagreed, saying the north-south split between single-family homes and townhouses makes it look like two separate communities.

More than a dozen people spoke at the public hearing about the proposal. Many said the development is too large for the area and doesn’t reflect the rural nature of the community. Some said the roads are already congested due to schools in the area.

Public notice

The Sept. 2 meeting was the only time a public hearing – a meeting in which the notice was posted in the newspaper and nearby residents were sent notices in the mail as required by law — will be held on the proposal. Laketown Green will appear on future agendas which are public documents posted on the township’s website and in the township hall, 4338 Beeline Road, before a public meeting, but nearby residents will not be notified by mail.

The planning commission meets at 6:30 p.m. the first Wednesday of each month at the township hall. The next meeting is Oct. 7. The agenda is available at least a week before the meeting. To view the agenda online, go to the township website, click on “Boards & Commissions,” and choose “Planning Commission.” Scroll to “Meetings and Minutes,” choose “2026 Agendas & Minutes,” then choose the appropriate link under the meeting date.

For more information of web access or meeting notification, contact Jim Hayden, public information coordinator, at (616) 335-3035 or email jimh@laketowntwp.org.