The community members speaking to the Planning Commission and Board of Trustees about Blossom Ridge spoke often and emotionally about their strong belief that the this senior citizen development would have a significant negative effect on the value of their homes.

Searching for an answer, the Township’s planning consultant contacted the Oakland County Equalization Office. This office determines the assessed value of our homes. Over more than twenty years they have built an extremely detailed database about what factors increase or decrease the value of individual homes in Oakland County. They can accurately assess how a home’s value is affected by proximity to a park, school, factory, office complex, shopping center, busy street, cemetery, hospital and many many other things. When asked whether they had any data that would support the conclusion that homes near senior citizens residential developments were worth less than similar homes without this proximity they replied no, they could not.

Three other communities assessment offfices were asked the same question and said they had never experienced a loss of value of any of the homes in their communities that were near Independent and Assisted living communities.

This information was presented to the township’s residents in public meetings. This diligent answer did not seem to satisfy many of the concerned residents.

Jim Foulkrod