Residents raise concerns about Parker/Lundy development

FARMINGTON HILLS — Residents of the Parker/Lundy neighborhood in Farmington Hills invited elected officials and candidates for office to visit where they call home after the city’s Planning Commission voted to approve a 33-unit housing development at its Sept. 18 meeting.

The project is moving ahead despite the pleas of more than a dozen residents who urged the commission to deny the development. Parker/Lundy is located south of Folsom Road.

Michelle Gala is a lifelong resident who has lived there more than 50 years spoke at the meeting.

“Three minutes is not enough time to express the issues and the history of this neighborhood,” Gala said.

She wanted those who would be voting on the project to see exactly what the 33-unit development would do to their neighborhood.

One concern has to do with local wildlife. The neighborhood is home to great gray owls, turkeys, deer, groundhogs, snapping turtles, salamanders and more.

According to Joe Derek, a retired naturalist who worked for the city of Farmington Hills, salamanders are a protected species, and the developers would need a special permit to move them. Once they are moved, they try to make their way back to where they were originally.

“No one makes the world of nature as well as nature does, and they’re not making any more of it,” Derek said.

More than 600 trees would have to be cut to make room for the homes. According to Gala, this would result in more noise and air pollution, as well as flooding. Residents at the meeting explained how the trees absorb rainwater, sound and heat, and without them, yards and basements would likely flood, and it would be much hotter in the summer.

Residents in the neighborhood use a septic system not the sewer.  Many use more than one sump pumps due to the area’s lower elevation. Reducing the number of trees would only make flooding worse, according to residents. This combined with building on the wetlands would be problematic.

There is also a historical component to the Parker/Lundy community that dates back more than 100 years.

“My house was built in 1919,” Gala said. “There are other homes that were built in 1915.”

She described the neighborhood as “tightly knit,” where neighbors know neighbors and even have keys to each other’s homes. They generally don’t use pesticides on their lawns because they don’t want to harm wildlife that eat from it.

The homes are typically one-story bungalows or ranch-style buildings. Many houses are around 800 square feet, with lots that extend more than 300 feet from the street to the back.

The new development would build two-story homes with a lot size 55 feet across.

“It’s not a good fit,” Gala said.

Stuart Michaelson of Windmill Homes is one of the developers and owners of the property. He said at the meeting that he has been building homes in the area for more than 40 years. He has requested a “cluster” designation to avoid the river.

“We didn’t want to go through the river (or) deal with it at all,” Michaelson said. “By doing some reduced lots in width, not depth, we were able to avoid the river and save a lot of open space, wetlands and trees.”

According to his team, they have met every request by the Planning Commission and the Michigan Department of Environmental, Great Lakes and Energy. Originally, the developer’s request was for around 45 homes, but the number has since been reduced to 33 homes.

According to Michaelson, his company has a good relationship with the community.

Charlie Starkman, who is running for the Farmington Hills City Council, was one of those who toured the land that Windmill Homes plans to develop.

“After meeting with the residents and Michelle showing me the space and giving a history of the neighborhood, it was concerning to me that this was where they thought 33 homes would be appropriate to build,” Starkman said. “I would not support this development, not in this space. I just don’t think this is a wise use of space.”