SG-W:/ Novi lawsuit

["Christina Lirones" <goldenspiderfarm@hotmail.com>]

Jack - that's a fascinating lawsuit. On the Newmarket project, we currently 
have no sewer capacity in Pittsfield. None. My mom has said repeatedly that 
she thinks the developer can sue the Twp if we go through this nit-picky 
process for over a year (remember, the planning commission spent the year 
talking about the most wee mundane things, not a big issue like roads, 
sewer, etc) and then don't end up spending millions of taxpayer dollars on 
sewer capacity to make it possible. The Planning commission has always acted 
like it's no big deal, they can do all this yapping and ask for all these 
drawings, then if we have no sewer capacity, just say sorry to the 
developer, I guess you can't do it after all.

We residents felt all along that there should have been a moratorium 
declared when we ran out of sewer capacity. We all got a letter in Central 
Pittsfield, including the Newmarket developer, saying this area was going to 
be withdrawn from the sewer and water service district. We've never gotten 
another saying that wouldn't happen.

Long before the Newmarket developer came along, the plan was:1) re-do the 
master plan, removing this  from sewer and water, thus protecting it for 
Agriculture (because of the significant wetlands and unsuitable soils, large 
scale development is impossible without sewer and water); 2. After the 
master plan is rewritten, project sewer capacity needs, including the almost 
certain failure of some of the denser well-and-septic subdivisions currently 
in Pittsfield (that is, serve the existing residents before providing 
capacity for speculating developers) 3. re-negotiate the YCUA contract for 
the necessary future sewer capacity 4. Then follow the Master Plan, and 
don't promise service where there is no capacity.

We are headed for a major disaster here, either in having to provide 
millions of dollars of sewer capacity for Newmarket, without knowing if 
they'll pay for any of it; or,in upping our YCUA contract without projecting 
the future needs of existing residents, just providing for the numerous 
upcoming projects.

I have told the Planning Commission repeatedly that they, not we residents, 
are the ones leading to all of these lawsuits. They should have said no to 
Newmarket on day one, before he spent millions on design plans and options. 
I truly believe we mean greenies would be easier to deal with than the 
current planning commission, from a developer's point of view. Tina


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