The Walker Planning Commission has greenlighted a developer’s plan to put 22 duplex condominiums on a 7-acre parcel off Lake Michigan Drive.
The planning commission at its Oct. 4 meeting voted unanimously to approve the final area site plan for the Tallman Woods condo development proposed by Grandville-based JAG Development Inc. at 83 Cummings Ave. SW, near Lake Michigan Drive and Wilson Ave. SW.
The neighborhood will feature 11 two-family condominium buildings on a private road off Cummings Avenue.
The city commission in May voted to rezone the property from its previous split zoning of C-2 community commercial and SA suburban residential to residential planned unit development (RPUD-1) to facilitate the development. That rezoning went into effect on June 4, according to a report by Planning Director Paula Priebe.
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JAG is the development subsidiary of Jack and Aletha Goodale’s The Atonne Group LLC, based in Wyoming. JAG is in the process of developing more than 100 properties it owns across greater Grand Rapids, according to its website.
Walker Mayor Gary Carey previously told Crain’s Grand Rapids Business JAG is the single biggest landowner in the city of Walker.
Todd Grasman, president of JAG Development and lead on this project, was not at the meeting and did not respond to requests for comment.
Crain’s Grand Rapids Business also left messages seeking comment from Mary Alighire, CFO of JAG Development, who was at the meeting.
Grasman said in a project narrative filed with the city that the development will provide “a highly desired, contextually sensitive missing middle housing option in a growing residential area of the community.”
The Tallman Woods project is exempt from the city’s recently adopted six-month moratorium on housing development. That’s because the pause only applies to developments with a density of three-and-a-half units or more per acre, and Tallman Woods’ density is 3.14 units per acre.
The moratorium was enacted Sept. 11 to give the city time to update its master plan and zoning ordinance, particularly surrounding questions of density in various residential districts.
JAG also is co-developer with Grand Haven-based Cherette Group LLC on the 217-unit Vista 45 mixed-use project proposed 1 mile west of this site, which is affected by Walker’s moratorium, along with several other projects.
Walker Mayor Garey Carey told Crain’s Grand Rapids the city has been “in constant communication” with its master planning partner, McKenna Associates. He expects the master planning process to start moving “fairly quickly” now.
Regarding Tallman Woods, Carey said he is pleased the housing will be for-sale versus rental units, as Walker is looking to strike a balance of homeownership versus rental stock.
“(The Tallman Woods site) has been a beautiful area, that, when you look at it, is ripe for opportunity for single-family homes like this, and we’re looking forward to seeing the end product here,” he said.
The planning commission voted to approve Tallman Woods’ FASP over the objection of one neighbor on Cummings Avenue who would like to see a denser tree buffer along the property line than the 13 trees that JAG proposed in the site plan.
Priebe and Planning Commission Chair Terry Schweitzer said the buffer the developer proposed more than meets the city’s requirement, and the neighbor should contact JAG directly to discuss any concerns.
Carey said he believes the residents who have been sharing feedback on this project have voiced “fair questions” about the buffers.
“That was a really wooded area for as long as we can all remember,” he said. “That’s obviously changing pretty significantly, so I think for us … we’re confident that the developer will follow through on promises made to the neighbors’ concerns, as well as the city’s direction and approval, and we’ll be fine.”
The planning commission granted approval for Tallman Woods on the condition that the developer meet city engineering requirements, including providing a profile sheet of the storm sewer and curb section along Cummings, adding sidewalk elevations every 50 feet along the development frontage, complying with proper placement of utilities and pavement configuration, and moving the entry sign away from the private utility easement.
“None of these are showstoppers,” said Travis Mabry, assistant city engineer for Walker. “We just need additional details as we move toward construction here.”
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Crain’s Grand Rapids Business launched in 2023, bringing together MiBiz, the Grand Rapids Business Journal and Crain Communications to create the top source of business news, analysis and information in West Michigan.