A development company that builds small residential communities designed to include individuals with developmental disabilities is considering doing a project in Oxford.
Three Oaks Communities, based in Ann Arbor, has reached out to the township government regarding a 13.61-acre piece of vacant land located at 209 N. Oxford Rd., on the west side of the road, south of the high school and north of State St.
The company is also considering a 12½-acre parcel on the south side of Lakeville Rd. in the village, according to Bruce Michael, partner and director of construction services for Three Oaks Communities.
“We’re looking at both of those,” he said. “We’re going to pick the one that makes the most sense and has the most support (from local officials).”
No offers have been made on either property.
“They’re both still in play at this point,” Michael said. “I think we will pursue one or the other here, provided we don’t run into a brick wall.”
Three Oaks Communities is looking to potentially build a residential development containing a mix of single-story fourplex condominiums, duplex homes (or townhouses) and single-family homes.
Michael said the mix would be similar to the 34-unit development that Three Oaks Communities currently has under construction on approximately 8 acres in Saline.
Named Maple Oaks, this development will contain two fourplexes, 16 duplexes and 10 single-family homes.
“We won’t have our first customers moving in until probably May,” Michael said.
Like those in Saline, the condominiums in Oxford would be “specifically designed (for) and sold to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities” while the single-family homes and duplexes would be “designed and built for sale to the general public,” according to a Dec. 2 e-mail Michael sent to township Deputy Supervisor Deanna Cushing.
“We may or may not do the duplexes (in Oxford). We look at each market individually, but we’re absolutely committed to the fourplexes and the single-families,” Michael told this reporter.
Michael explained they like to keep the size of their communities small and generally limit the density to four units per acre.
“We’re not going to do 200 units somewhere,” he said.
The main purpose of Three Oaks Communities is to create “inclusionary communities.” To that end, Michael said 25 percent of the units are earmarked for people with disabilities while the remaining 75 percent are marketed to the general public, which includes a mix of young families, retirees and single folks.
This is a unique model in the housing industry, according to Michael. “We don’t know of anybody else out there that’s doing this precise thing,” he said.
According to Michael, they have not encountered anyone with a prejudice against living next door to the disabled.
“I’m not saying there isn’t anybody out there who has that kind of attitude, but we certainly haven’t seen it,” he said.
The fourplex condominiums for the developmentally disabled are the heart of the project. In Saline, each condo complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act and was designed with input from Liberty Housing of Saline (LHS).
The mission of LHS is to develop sustainable community housing for individuals with developmental disabilities in order to provide a safe environment that promotes independence, socialization, community involvement and the opportunity for them to reach their full potential.
Fourplex residents will be able to live independently in their own condo units, but also have access to a community room that’s staffed by caregivers 24-7. Michael said if there are four people or less living in each building, the cost of the caregivers can be covered by Medicaid.
Michael stressed “this is not a group home.”
The residents and their parents or guardians will “have a lot more control over the caregivers and the quality (of care) that they’ll get” than in the typical group home setting.
“It’s just a different approach to a need that’s generally underserved,” he explained.
The idea is to give folks with developmental disabilities as much independence as possible so they can lead fulfilled lives while giving parents or guardians some peace of mind that their children or other family members will have a place of their own and a life of their own should they pass away.
“Everybody we talk to, they either know somebody or have a direct family member that has this situation,” Michael said. “There’s a need.”
That’s why Three Oaks Communities is “going to continue to do this kind of a project in multiple communities,” including Southfield, Canton Township and Westland.
“We see the need everywhere and our houses are priced affordably,” Michael said. “Our houses are priced generally below $300,000.”
“The parents that we’ve dealt with so far are pretty much middle class parents. They’re not the uber-rich,” he noted.
Michael plans to meet with Oxford officials to explain Three Oaks Communities’ intentions, determine if they’re interested in having this type of project in the community and see if they would be willing to support it.
“We’re very much looking for local support,” he said.
The 209 N. Oxford Rd. property that Three Oaks Communities is considering is zoned multiple family residential (RM), which doesn’t allow single-family homes as a permitted use.
“However, a combination of single-family detached (homes), duplexes and fourplexes could be permitted as a Planned Unit Development (PUD),” wrote township Planner Matthew Lonnerstater, of the Ann Arbor-based Carlisle-Wortman Associates, in a Dec. 7 e-mail to Michael.
“One of the most important aspects of the PUD option is the ‘community benefit’ criteria; in order to be eligible for the PUD option, the project must exhibit a recognizable and substantial benefit to the users of the development and the overall township.”
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