What Are People Saying About Blossom Ridge?

Three attorneys. Three opinions. Now there will be a fourth. See what readers are saying.

Blossom Ridge Referendum Pushed To May

Three attorneys. Three opinions. Now there will be a fourth.

After its second closed meeting in as many weeks, the Oakland Township Board of Trustees voted at a special meeting Monday to seek a fourth legal opinion regarding a rezoning granted for the proposed Blossom Ridge senior housing development. The board will also seek an opinion from the Michigan Attorney General and is now hoping to put the referendum on the rezoning on the May ballot, not February as originally intended. “I think it is incumbent upon us to do as much due diligence as we can to represent the citizens and do it right,” said supervisor Terry Gonser. “It’s unfortunate in my mind that we can’t go forward on Feb. 26. … I’ve always felt it was better to be right than fast.” Last week, the newly elected board received a letter …

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Attorney Says Blossom Ridge Referendum is Invalid

A special meeting has been called for Monday, Dec. 3.

An attorney representing a group of Oakland Township residents has found a procedural flaw in the rezoning approved for the controversial Blossom Ridge senior-housing development. In a letter to the township, he said both the rezoning and the subsequent petition drive to overturn it are invalid. The township’s new board of trustees, meeting for the first time Tuesday, went into closed session to hear Township Attorney Steven Joppich’s opinion on the letter. Apparently the two opinions differ, because after the hour-long closed session the board returned to open session and voted to hire a third attorney to give it yet another opinion. The residents’ attorney, Gregory Need, said an Oakland County zoning committee never received notice of …

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Oakland Referendum Clears Hurdle

The petition has been found sufficient to hold an election on rezoning.

A petition seeking a referendum on an Oakland Township rezoning has been found to be sufficient to schedule the matter for election. At the Tuesday, Nov. 27 special meeting of the newly elected Oakland Township Board of Trustees, the board will be asked to schedule the referendum for a Feb. 26 vote, the next available election date, and to approve ballot language. Petitions were submitted to the township Sept. 19 asking for a referendum on the previous township board’s decision to rezone 41 acres of land at the northwest corner of Adams and Dutton roads for the proposed Blossom Ridge senior-housing development. The land was rezoned from medium residential density to multiple family. Separately, the board is also scheduled to go into a …

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For Oakland Township, It’s Déjà Vu

Moceri, rezoning, referendum: We've been here before

Four years after new leadership was voted onto the Oakland Township Board of Trustees, largely because of a controversial development proposed by Dominic Moceri, it’s all happening again. In August, five new members were elected to the board of trustees, largely on the strength of opposition to a proposed senior-housing development known as Blossom Ridge. With just about a month until the newcomers take their seats, the outgoing board decided Oct. 9 on a 4-3 vote to hold off on a special request for the project, opting instead to wait until the referendum process plays out. Township Manager Jim Creech said last week that petition signatures have been submitted and were being reviewed by the clerk’s office. He said he expects the matter to …

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Public Hearing Tuesday Night on Blossom Ridge Development in Oakland Township

Residents will be able to give feedback on the Blossom Ridge development at the Oakland Township Zoning Board of Appeals at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 18.

Oakland Township residents will have an opportunity to tell the Zoning Board of Appeals what they think about the planned Blossom Ridge development at special meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 18. Blossom Ridge is 238-unit senior living community planned for a 41.84-acre plot of land at the northwest corner of Adams and Dutton roads. The hearing is in response to rezoning requests requests made by the devleopers —Moceri/DM Investments and Four Stars—for the proposed senior housing development.   The public is invited to attend the meeting at 7 p.m. at the Oakland Township Hall at 4393 Collins Road. For more on the Blossom Ridge development, check out Patch.com's coverage.

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Letter to the Editor: Blossom Ridge Site Planner Responds to Project's Concerns

Blossom Ridge landscape architect/site planner Donald Westphal outlines why he believes the senior residential development should go through as planned.

To whom it may concern,                   For starters, understand that I am the Landscape Architect/Site Planner for the Blossom Ridge project.  I am also the planner of more than 20 projects in Oakland Township and many more in the surrounding communities.  I moved to the Township in 1968 and still reside in the township.  In my forty plus years as a planner for many controversial projects from coast to coast I have learned that to be successful in the approval process one needs to understand the rules and abide by them.  I have also learned that one’s master plan can survive challenges only if it is properly enacted, updated, and adhered to as a guide for growth.  Following this principal has allowed the Oakland Township Master Plan to …

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Letter to the Editor: Blossom Ridge Opponents Ask For Redesign, Legal Protection

A letter from the Blossom Ridge Referendum Action Group appeals to the Oakland Township Board of Trustees to consider a less dense senior living community before the second reading for final approval to amend the Zoning Ordinance.

Dear Supervisor Fogler, We and many residents living in Oakland Township and neighboring Rochester Hills are sincerely disappointed that the Board of Trustees approved on a 4-to-3 vote the 1st reading to amend the Zoning Ordinance for the parcels located at the NW corner of the Adams/Dutton roads intersection from MRD zoning to RM-PRRO for the development of the Blossom Ridge senior living center as it is currently designed.  The design of the senior living center being accepted by the board is not consistent with the Township Zoning Ordinance or Master Plan.  The introduction to the Master Plan clearly highlights the plan objective and intent:  This Master Plan represents the culmination of nearly two years of work by numerous local …

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Township Board Votes To Move Forward With Blossom Ridge

Tuesday night the board voted 4-3 on a motion granting preliminary approval for the senior living community.

To the dismay of many residents in the audience at Tuesday’s Oakland Township Board of Trustees meeting, board members voted in favor of rezoning a 41.84-acre plot of land at the northwest corner of Adams and Dutton roads, which would allow for the development of Blossom Ridge, a proposed senior living community. In order for the 238-unit project to be developed, the applicant, Moceri Development, needs the board to approve an ordinance that will amend Ordinance 16, which allows the property to be rezoned from a Medium Density Residential (MDR) to Multifamily Residential Density with Planned Residential Rezoning Overlay (RM-PRRO). The board voted 4-3 in favor of the first reading of the ordinance, which in effect grants preliminary …

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