By Jim Newell
Managing Editor
OXFORD TWP. – What areas of the township should have greater development in the future, and what areas should be left as they are? What types of housing, and on what size lots, should the township allow?
These and other questions are on Oxford Township’s new Master Plan survey and township officials want community input on how the township should plan for future growth.
People who live or work in Oxford Township are encouraged to take the survey, which will be up until Jan. 31, but could be extended longer, if necessary.
“The survey asks people what they like about the township, what they would like to change about the township. Specific questions about housing and what types of housing or lots. There’s pictures and photographs to help people to be able to visualize what a lot of a certain size looks like,” said Megan Masson-Minock, planner for Carlisle Wortman & Associates in Ann Arbor. “(It asks) what new development, both residential and non-residential, should happen. There’s some questions about public services and infrastructure. By public services we mean police and fire, but there’s also some questions about medical facilities.”
The Master Plan outlines the future vision of the community’s land use and development over the next 10-20 years. It includes goals, objectives, and policies for public facilities and infrastructure and defines the desired nature of future development in the community.
There are some optional demographic questions, such as age, residency, work status/location and gender, but those who take the survey do so anonymously.
“The township has some choices going forward in the Master Plan as to how they want the community to develop,” Masson-Minock said. “The goal is to have at least 1,000 township residents participate. If it looks like we won’t hit that goal, we’ll consider extending the deadline a little more.”
More than 200 people have taken the survey through the end of last week.
“It’ important to the township because the Master Plan is the guiding document for land-use decisions. So, this is the citizens’ opportunity to express what they would want a planning commissioner or a township board member to think about when they’re making a decision about how many houses should go in a certain place, whether to pass an ordinance to protect wetlands or woodlands, whether to extend infrastructure, develop roads, things like that,” Masson-Minock said.
And residents can be assured that township officials do consider the Master Plan when making decisions.
“It doesn’t sit on a shelf. They do look at it with every land-use decision. And it really acts as a communication tool to the public and to the development community at-large as to what the township wants,” Masson-Minock said.
The survey takes 15-25 minutes to complete and a link to the survey is available on the township’s website, oxfordtownship.org. Paper copies of the survey are available at the Oxford Township Building Department, 300 Dunlap Rd, in Oxford Township Hall. Anyone with questions can call the building department at 248-628-9787 ext. 101 or email masterplan@oxfordtownship.org.
Anyone who completes the survey can also be entered into a raffle to win a gift certificate to the Oxford Tap.