Planners take another look at 2 developments

Developers for two proposed neighborhoods, Laketown 71 and Laketown Green, located in the northeastern section of Laketown Township, are returning to the planning commission on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026.

The developer of Laketown 71, JN & MMI Properties LLC, is proposing 195 new housing units. The developer of Laketown Green, Covenant Developments, is proposing 174 units.  Both will be back on the agenda after recent plan revisions.

The meeting is at 6:30 p.m. at the township hall, 4338 Beeline Road, with Zoom available.

No public hearing for either development will be held at the October meeting as this was conducted at a prior meeting. The planning commission does have a public comment period at the end of the meeting.

The meeting agenda is available here.

The most recent plans for Laketown 71 are available here.

The most recent plans for Laketown Green are available here.

Laketown 71

The proposed neighborhood for Laketown 71 is a planned unit development between 60^th Street and 61^st Street south of 146^th Avenue. It is to the north and west of the Graafschap Fire Department station, 4534 60^th St., and was originally planned as a 217-unit housing development

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.

Sixteen people spoke at the public hearing in June, many concerned about the density of the project, drainage, traffic and the impact on the rural environment of the township.

The planning commission tabled the proposal in June for more information.

At the Aug. 5 meeting, the planning commission members asked for changes  on the plan including sample condo association documents, drain commission comment, a “yield plan,” detailed landscaping plans and phasing information.

The new proposal on the Oct. 7 agenda is for seven phases with a total of 195 units of three types – 63 single-family units, 52 townhouses, and 80 “Gateway” units.  A “Gateway” unit is a “single-family home with garage in the rear rather than attached to the side,” said Jeff Hainer of JTB Homes, which is linked to the proposal. “Garage is usually accessed off an alley in back while the front porch fronts the sidewalk and street. These allow a bit narrower lot while still maintaining a standalone unit.”

The updated documents also include a drainage map, grading map, landscape plan, open space plan and a “parallel plan,” how the land could be alternatively developed. This is the “yield plan” planners requested in June.

The area is zoned R-2 Low Density Residential and, according to the developer, could have up to 232 units if developed in a different way.

Laketown Green

Representatives from Covenant Developments originally presented their plans for the 50.88-acre Laketown Green planned unit development on Sept. 2 for 180 units at 4674 60^th St. and 147^th Avenue.

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.

More about the Sept. 2 discussion here.

Commissioners said Covenant needed 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 new proposal to be discussed on Oct. 7 is for a total of 174 dwelling units – 94 single-family homes and 80 townhomes.

“The revised plan makes meaningful changes in response to that input,” Peter Engles, president of Covenant, wrote in the submission for the Oct. 7 meeting. “These changes include reducing the overall number of dwelling units; eliminating regular condominium access to 60th Street to prevent cut-through traffic; relocating the 147th Avenue entrance; adding condominium guest parking; improving pedestrian connectivity between the two residential areas; more clearly identifying usable open space and amenity areas; improving buffering; and providing updated information regarding traffic, utilities, stormwater management, and lighting.”

The updated plans include a traffic study from 2025 and 2026 information related to the proposed development. It states 60^th Street and 147^th Avenue can handle the added traffic from Laketown Green.

The plan states it reduced the single-family lots from 98 to 94, and the average lot size has increased from 11,055 square feet to about 11,794 square feet.

The 7-foot setback is not the planned spacing between each home and the PUD offers flexibility, according to Engles.

“Accordingly, 14 feet represents the minimum possible separation only where two adjoining homes both utilize the minimum setback. Actual separation between homes will vary throughout the development and will frequently be greater,” he said.

Covenant submitted plans including the site layout, open space and pedestrian circulation plan, preliminary grading plan and utility plan.

“We believe the revised plan responds meaningfully to the concerns raised during the review process while remaining consistent with the existing zoning of the property and the purpose and objectives of the township’s planned unit development ordinance,” Engles wrote.

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.