NOW. STATE WETLANDS VIOLATION PUTS A STOP TO NEW HOME CONSTRUCTION IN WAYNE COUNTY.
FOR NOW. DESTRUCTION OF TREES
HAS NEIGHBORS VERY UPSET IN ONE
PART OF THE COUNTY AND NOW THE
STATE STEPS IN ISSUING A
VIOLATION FOR DISTURBING LOCAL
WETLANDS. GLAD YOU’RE WITH US
FOR LOCAL 4 NEWS AT SIX I’M
DEVIN SCILLIAN KIMBERLY GILL NEW
HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS USUALLY
AREN’T POPULAR WITH THE
NEIGHBORS AS CONSTRUCTION CAN BE
NOISY, DUSTY AND DISRUPTIVE
PEOPLE IN ONE WAYNE COUNTY
COMMUNITY CALLED HAWTHORN WOODS
JUST SOUTHWEST OF METRO AIRPORT
, SAY A NEARBY PROJECT IS
CAUSING MORE THAN THE USUAL
ISSUES, AND THAT’S BECAUSE IT’S
DESTROYING THE REASON THEY
BOUGHT THEIR HOMES IN THE FIRST
PLACE. THE TREES LOOKING FOR
INVESTIGATOR KAREN DREW HERE
WITH THE STORY AND A MAJOR
DEVELOPMENT THAT ACTUALLY
OCCURRED OUT A FEW HOURS AGO.
KAREN. IN SOME HATHORN WOODS
RESIDENTS CONTACTED US. THEY
WERE SO MAD AT DEVELOPER STARTED
CUTTING DOWN A BUNCH OF TREES.
SO WE SHOWED UP, STARTED ASKING
SOME QUESTIONS. AND THINGS JUST
DIDN’T SEEM TO MAKE SENSE. SO WE
CONTACTED THE STATE AND TONIGHT
THE STATE JUST HANDED THE
DEVELOPER OF VIOLATION NOTICE
AFTER WHAT WE EXPOSED HE’S BACK
HERE RIGHT NOW. AND, UH. IT’S
PRETTY CRAZY HOW THIS MACHINE
WORKS. NEIGHBORS WATCH IN POOR
AS A MACHINE LEVELS, TREES AND
JUST SECONDS, LEAVING NOTHING
BUT PILES OF BRANCHES AND STUMPS
IN WHAT USED TO BE A FOREST.
EVERY NEIGHBOR HAS SHED TEARS.
WE JUST STAND THERE AND LOOK AT
THIS CARNAGE THAT IS HAPPENING
TO THE WOODS. THIS WAS A FOREST.
UH, SOME OF THESE TREES ARE 100
YEARS OLD. LIKE THIS ONE BACK
HERE. I BET THERE’S 100 YEARS
OLD. THE NEIGHBORS WHO LIVE NEXT
TO THE WOULD SAY THIS WAS NEVER
SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN. THEY SAY
THIS FOREST IS THE REASON THEY
BOUGHT THEIR HOMES HERE WAS
DRAWN TO THE FACT THAT WE KIND
OF STILL FELT LIKE WE’RE OUT IN
THE COUNTRY, BUT WE ALSO LIVED
IN A NEIGHBORHOOD RIGHT? AND
THAT’S WHAT I LOVE MOST ABOUT
IT. AND WHAT’S HAPPENING RIGHT
NOW IS THE COMPLETE OPPOSITE OF
WHAT DREW EVERYONE IN THIS
NEIGHBORHOOD TO MOVE HERE.
INFINITY HOMES, WHICH OWNS THE
LAND, SAYS IT’S BEEN CLEAR FOR
YEARS ABOUT HIS PLANS TO BUILD
43 MORE HOMES HERE, AND INFINITY
SAYS IT HAS ALL THE PERMITS TO
DO SO. OH NOT SO FAST. WE WENT
TO THE STATE LOOKING FOR THOSE
PERMITS. AND GUESS WHAT? THE
DEVELOPER DID NOT HAVE A FINAL
ISSUED PERMIT TO CHOP DOWN ALL
THOSE TREES. THE STATE SHOWED UP
YESTERDAY AND ISSUED THIS
VIOLATION. FINDING INFINITY
HOMES IN VIOLATION OF MICHIGAN
WETLAND LAW, CITING UNAUTHORIZED
ACTIVITY, INCLUDING TREE
CLEARING IN SOIL DISTURBANCE,
EAGLE SAYS PART OF THIS AREA
WE’RE INFINITY, CUT DOWN THE
TREES AND MOVE DIRT AROUND IS A
DESIGNATED WETLAND. SO FOR NOW,
AT LEAST SOME OF THIS WILL HAVE
TO STOP AND INFINITY MAY BE FINE
FOR DESTROYING WETLANDS. OH, MY
GOD! YES. THIS IS A PLACE THAT I
LOOKED FORWARD TO RAISING MY
SON. PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN HAWTHORN
WOODS. PHASE ONE SAY THEIR
AGREEMENT WITH INFINITY HOMES
GIVES THEM CONTROL OF THE TREES.
BUT INFINITY, HOLMES SAYS IT
OWNS THE PROPERTY AND HAS EVERY
RIGHT TO DEVELOP ON IT. WE DID
REACH OUT TO INFINITY HOMES FOR
COMMENT ABOUT THE WETLANDS
VIOLATION. THE COMPANY SAYS IT
STANDS BY ITS DRAFT PERMIT, NOT
THE FINAL ISSUED PERMIT WITH THE
EAGLE, ALLOWING IT TO BUILD ON
THE WETLANDS AREA. BUT EAGLE
SAYS THE COMPANY DOES NOT HAVE A
FINAL PERMIT. ASSUME THIS IS IN
COURT. BOTH SIDES DEFINITELY.
OBVIOUSLY, ATTORNEYS ON BOTH
SIDES ARE WORKING ON IT.
INFINITY WANTS TO BUILD 43 MORE
HOMES AND EXISTING NEIGHBORS SAY
YOU KNOW, THEY WANT TO SAVE THE
FORCE. I HAVE TO TELL YOU HOW
HARD IT WAS FOR OUR TEAM TO
SHOOT. THAT VIDEO CAME BACK SO
UPSET BECAUSE THEY WERE
LITERALLY THEY’RE COMING DOWN
AND THEY SAID, I FEEL LIKE
THERE’S SOMETHING GOING ON HERE,
BUT WE COULDN’T STOP IT IN TIME
TO GET THE STATE INVOLVED. SO
THE STATE SAYS, IF YOU HAVE AN
ISSUE, CONTACT EAGLE DIRECTLY,
THERE’S A HOTLINE NUMBER AND I’M
GOING TO PUT THAT ON
CLICKONDETROIT’S SO PEOPLE CAN
DO THAT. SO WE FOLLOW THE RIGHT