By Tom Tolen / news@whmi.com


The developers of the ambitious Vista at Uptown townhouse project on the periphery of downtown Brighton have received the green light from the city and say they will be ready to proceed with construction by late fall.

The $40 million-plus, 4-story development, to consist of 204 housing units, had received approval from the City Planning Commission at its April 20th meeting. The final site plan was given a thumbs up by City Council at its online meeting Thursday night. The developer is DTN Management Group of Lansing, which had been granted a 1-year extension last November and now appears on a fast track to proceed with construction of the development. The upscale, 214,000-square-foot development is to be located on 4.3 acres between Second St. and the Mill Pond, south of Advance St., and within walking distance of downtown. The original plan had called for 199 townhouse units, and in the revised plan, the additional five units will occupy a slightly smaller footprint. DTN spokesman John Woods told council the changes will give the Mill Pond side a more dramatic look. Some upper-story units will be configured as penthouses, with balconies overlooking the Mill Pond. The three-story parking structure will be slightly smaller than originally envisioned, but surface parking will be increased, for a total of 322 parking spaces — or 1.6 spaces per housing unit. Townhouse units will each consist of 1-3 bedrooms and range from 600-1,400 square feet in size. Plans are to charge rents of $1,200 to $2,300 per month, depending on size. The high-end development will feature numerous amenities, such as an outdoor pool, outdoor kitchen and grill, a patio, fitness centers, conference rooms, fire pits, club rooms and bocci ball courts. DTN will be required to perform a traffic impact study and comply with other conditions set forth by the city and county planning commissions, Brighton Area Fire Authority, Brighton Police Dept. and Tetra Tech, the city’s engineering company. Council approved the final site plan on a unanimous, 7-0 vote.