• The area of land where the senior living center would be built.

OKEMOS, MI - Okemos IL-AL Investors, LLC has proposed rezoning approximately 9.07 acres of land from C-2 (Commercial) to RA (Single Family-Medium Density). The land, located at 1510 and 1560 Grand River Avenue, would be used for a senior living community, including independent living, assisted living, and memory care facilities.

The parcels of land are in the eastern third, an area that is environmentally sensitive, along a scenic road.

“I would really like to see the dense development patterns cease to the west of Powell Road. I don’t think this fits aesthetically in this portion of the community,” said Meridian Township Trustee Dan Opsommer.

A DTN development was just approved a quarter mile Northwest.

“I think drawing the line and saying ‘this encroaches on Powell Road,’ is splitting hairs,” said Treasurer Phil Deschaine.

“We should look at this, do we like this development, do we need this development, is it for the general good of the Township or not.”

Okemos IL-AL Investors Representative Aubrey Holmes, emphasized the importance of community for the residents.

“There's a lot of amenities in the building that encourage the seniors...to be active, to be social, to not just be in their rooms all the time and be alone,” Holmes said.

Although the project has not yet been approved, environmental damage has already occurred at the site.

“We lost 210 trees on this site. Those trees are gone, and holding the future developer responsible for those 210 trees really doesn’t get us anywhere. That was a natural disaster that happened at that site, but it happened,” said Deschaine.

“It’s sad, I love trees...we’ve got to move on to recover from it.”