Change of plans could bring more than 400 rental homes to Howell Township
HOWELL TWP. - Hundreds of new residences are still planned at Mason and Burkhart roads near Howell, but developers have made big changes, including making them all rentals.
The proposed residential development, called Heritage Square, has been in the works for a few years. The original plan was for 577 residents of different types, including single-family homes that would have been for sale, different types of one- and two-story apartments, and independent senior living on about 95 acres of vacant land.
Developers recently returned to Howell Township's boardroom with a new, less dense plan for 405 rentals. They also changed the plan to include fewer housing types. The new plan is for 115 one-story, detached ranches and 290 attached, one-story townhomes, all with attached, two-stall garages. They also propose a clubhouse, pool and recreational area for the neighborhood.
Howell Township's Board of Trustees Monday night voted unanimously to approve a new site plan for the planned unit development. It will need final approvals from township planners and trustees before construction can begin.
Going a different way
Housing developer Bruce Michael, a partner in Heritage Square, said people with experience developing multi-family housing have joined in since the township granted preliminary approval in February 2022.
"We have another party involved with the multi-family portion," Michael said. "We had (in the original plan) a variety of different rental apartment styles and types in the multi-family portion of the project. They wanted to simplify it and go with a higher-end apartment style."
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He declined to identify members of an LLC who have joined the project, but he confirmed the original group of investors still owns the property.
According to township documents, two LLCs applied for the revised site plan review: KR Properties LLC and Burkhart Mason Community LLC.
"Someone in the development game," Michael said. "They are experienced."
He declined to say whether ownership of the land could change hands in the future.
Rentals in demand
With interest rates high and homebuilding more expensive, some people are choosing to rent instead of buy.
"It's a shock to most people," Michael said. "Along with the interest rates increased costs have driven up the price of homes, so affordability has become a super big problem. It was already a problem."
"A lot of people who would be potentially homebuyers are choosing instead to rent and they are looking for a product closer to a traditional, single-family home," such as one-story ranch-style residences with attached garages, he said.
He said in the original plan, single-family homes that would have been for sale were geared toward "active adults." While it is not age-restricted, baby boomers are a target demographic.
"It’s still after that active adult crowd, typically ranch homes, so people can live on one level," he said.
Michael said they are moving forward with final plans and hope to break ground this summer.
Howell Township Zoning Administrator Joe Daus said it is not the first time there was a plan for the land.
"Before the crash in 2008, there was a development approved for that site, with housing and commercial uses," Daus said. "When that all happened (the housing crisis), people just walked away from projects."
He said the current developers have "said they believed the proposal this time was a better product for the current market."
"They did their homework before they ever came to the planning commission. Both projects were well thought out," he said. "We're excited to see it happen."
Howell Township Treasurer Jonathan Hohenstein said lower housing density, as proposed at Mason and Burkhart, will also bring less traffic to the busy and notoriously confusing interchange of Burkhart Road and Interstate 96.
"MDOT has plans, they know it’s an issue," Hohenstein said. "If they were to build this, it would add less stress to that intersection."
He also said the township needs more multi-family options.
"The proposed site has a good amount of multi-family. There isn’t enough in the township," he said.
Contact Livingston Daily reporter Jennifer Eberbach at jeberbach@livingstondaily.com.
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Latest Heritage Square plans could mean 400 Howell Township rental homes
