We, the undersigned, urge the Scio Township government to reject the proposal to permit construction of “Scioview,” a 174-unit housing development, on the 165 acres of rolling farmland and wetlands that lie between our neighborhood and Liberty Road. The proposed development would cause lasting damage to this neighborhood, the Township, and the environment in the following ways:

· A development of this density in this location would violate the spirit and ignore the wisdom of the Scio Township Master Plan that calls for protecting existing neighborhoods and preserving the area’s rural character.

· The plan would turn Little Lake Drive from a residential cul-de-sac into a through road from Liberty to Jackson Rd, increasing the traffic on Little Lake to multiple times its present volume, with permanent destructive impacts on safety, noise, crime, road maintenance, tranquility, and property values in what is now a peaceful residential neighborhood. Liberty would also become congested with significantly increased traffic.

· The site lies between several existing natural areas: Saginaw Forest, the Huron Valley Swim Club woods, and the natural areas preserved by the cohousing developments on Little Lake Drive. A dense housing development on this site would disrupt the movement of wildlife, break up the open space, and subject the adjacent natural areas to a greatly increased level of damaging trespassing.

· Runoff from storm water, lawn fertilizers, and other residential effluents would flow into the Honey Creek tributary that drains the land, further stressing that whole watershed.

· There is no water or sewer service to this site. Waste water treatment facilities have proven to be problematic in other communities. Coupled with contaminated groundwater from the Pall/Gelman “plume,” the proposed sewage treatment facility would add to the problem. This is both an environmental threat and a financial concern for the Township and its taxpayers, who could end up bearing the costs of the resulting problems for many years to come.