Northfield Neighbors

Your Homegrown, Pro-Democracy Activists

“By the People, For the People”

 

This is who we are.

   We are a loosely-knit group of your neighbors dedicated to defending the democratic process and our quality of life.

   We support the township Master Plan, the most democratic document we have – By the People, For the People.

 

  • We favor reasonable growth in areas that have infrastructure. 
  • We oppose extending sewers into rural areas.
  • We oppose changes to our Master Plan without significant public input, and never to accommodate an out-of-town developer.

This is what we accomplished.

Fact, not fiction.

  • Opponents claim Northfield Neighbors is “anti-growth”. Not true.

These are the projects we approved while in office (2004-2008):

  1. Meijers was granted preliminary site plan approval.
  2. Tractor Supply was approved & opened.
  3. East Meadows Housing Project -Main & Ash Sts- homes built/sold.
  4. The $2.5M DogHouse on N. Territorial, built & opened.
  5. New family medical practice on Main Street, built & opened.
  6. 80% of all applications to the Planning Commission – approved!
  • Additional accomplishments:
  1. Saved our treasury - from $500k in the RED to $1M in the BLACK.
  2. No new taxes were heaped on our residents – first time in memory.
  3. Fought and won the lawsuit brought by Grand/Sakwa - supporting the residents’ 2004 referendum vote.  
  4. Showed backbone protecting our homes and our community.
  5. Helped block a DDA scheme to spend $28 million on a grandiose Territorial Road Bridge.  How right was that?  MDOT now plans to use Federal funds to rebuild the Territorial Road Bridge and the 6 Mile Road bridge and the 8 Mile Road bridge - for half of that, only $14 million.

Northfield Neighbors

More accomplishments we’re proud of:

 

Protected Your Investment

  • Required that taxpayers be alerted before any big borrowing is done.
  • Stopped our DDA scheme to borrow $28 million for expanding the US23 & N. Territorial bridge to eight lanes.

 

Eliminated Lawsuits 

  • Grand/Sakwa $30M suit tossed out by judge.
  • Vastly reduced case load inherited in 2004. Won or settled every suit.

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Services – Getting more for less.

  • Expanded Fire/Rescue to 24/7; faster response times but no extra cost.
  • Instituted job-sharing among all support staff for greater efficiency.
  • Improved revenue collection procedures – collected higher % of taxes.
  • Started newsletter mailed with your tax bills - no added mailing costs.
  • Contracted for zoning administration -  thousands saved every year.
  • Full-time bookkeeper out ; part-time Controller in – thousands saved.
  • Improved insurance coverage for employees at $50,000 less/year.

 

Balanced Preservation & Growth:

  • Adopted an Open Space Ordinance allowing developers significant housing density bonus in they preserve 70% of land as “dedicated” open space.
  • 195 acres saved from development, more than $1 million to our community - helping farm families keep their land by selling their “development rights”.
  • Rewrote the Master Plan to curb sprawl by directing smart, low-impact growth to appropriate areas.  Big public participation in the process.
  • Updated the Parks and Recreation Plan.
  • Adopted a Noise Ordinance with teeth. 
  • Adopt lighting standards to improve safety and limit light pollution.
  • Resurrected State of Michigan DOT study for US23 improvements. 
  • Spearheaded a coalition to promote Rail Commuter service through Northfield.

Northfield Neighbors – Serving our Residents

with Business Smarts & Common Sense

 

- This information source is edited by two of your neighbors, Jim Nelson and David Gordon

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Jim Nelson

 

 

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