A resident of LNT received a notice of a zoning hearing board meeting tonight (2/23) in regard to a tract of land that was originally farmland (agriculture) and was changed to residential to become a 55+ development.
The property is owned by Trio Farms and Ashley Development, which is requesting to drop the 55+ age restriction, and this is being discussed at the meeting tonight.
Initially, the plan called for 440 units consisting of apartments, townhouses, and single family dwellings; the developers would bring the sewer and water to the development; and owners would have a 55+ age restriction.
The ‘notice’ was not an official notice from the township, but from some unnamed source that opposes the dropping of the age restriction on the basis that school taxes will increase.
I’ve often wondered why nearby Palmer, Hanover and Bethlehem Townships have benefited from 55+ communities, and NASD did not. Typically, these communities are a big win for local government. The developer creates a ‘closed’ community with roads and amenities like tennis courts, pool, club house, etc. The community is managed by a neighborhood association, which is responsible to maintain the properties including roads, so the township benefits from the taxes without having to invest in the road maintenance, plowing, etc. The schools also benefit because the taxes for the property come with a guarantee of no new students.
Dropping the 55+ requirement would allow for people with children to move in and thereby potentially increase the burden on the school system.
At the current time, the NASD has a severe issue with HS enrollment. On the other hand, the new MS is half-full with sections closed down altogether, the IS does not have an enrollment problem, and the three elementary schools just had two grade levels removed from each providing them with plenty of room in each building. In short, our school facilities are mostly under-utilized, so additional students won’t be a problem except at the HS level and with declining enrollment at the lower grades, it may not get worse, but maintain current levels.
It will be interesting to learn of the outcome of this meeting.
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