CALEDONIA — Caledonia residents are sharing mixed reactions to a new housing proposal for a 20-acre lakefront property on Waters Edge Drive — land the village owns after buying out a previous developer's loan earlier this year when their plan fell through.
The proposal from The Lynn Development Group/Scott-Crawford, Inc. calls for a $92.5 million investment to bring 119 owner-occupied housing units to the site, which developers are describing as a "luxury preserve-inspired lakefront community."
Ron Kutts, a Caledonia resident and former village board president, said he is ready to see something happen on the property.
"I'd like to see a project go there. We've been waiting for a long time," he said.
But Kutts said he has reservations about whether the developers can deliver on their vision, which they pitched at a recent village board meeting.
"They gave a beautiful story. Can you come through with it? And that's my only problem," Kutts said.
Fellow resident Karin Roach was also in attendance at the village meeting where the developer made the pitch. She said she sees promise in the proposal.
"I think it's an absolutely beautiful property. I think it's only going to add to our property values here," Roach said.
Roach acknowledged the anxiety some neighbors feel given the history of the site and expressed empathy for those who would be most impacted during construction. Still, she supports moving forward.
"I feel for the people that live on Water's Edge or Erie that are going to deal with the construction, but I'm in favor of the project," she said.
Traffic is a concern for some residents, including Rundle, who acknowledged the issue is already growing.
"Well, you hear it. And yes, it's getting to be more and more," he said.
Resident Earl Rundle said he hopes any future decisions preserve the safety and character of the neighborhood.
"I would like the neighborhood to be beautiful. It always has been," he said.
Rundle noted that a previous proposal for the site drew strong community opposition.
"At one time they talked about putting low-income housing in there, and the petition went around our neighborhood to say no," he said.
Several residents who were not willing to speak on camera Thursday expressed opposition to the development proposal and said they'd prefer to see the village create public greenspace on the property.
Members of the village board said the proposal was shared simply to get it in front of residents. No action was planned.
Caledonia Village President Prescott Balch said the village board is looking for more resident feedback.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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