A new plan has been proposed for use of the former Nye’s Apple Barn property on Niles Road in St. Joseph Township.

Multiple plans from owner John Nye have been rejected by the township in the past few years, but now Nye is proposing single family homes, apartments, restaurants, a welcome center, a gas station and convenience store, and a dog park for the site.

Introducing his plan to the St. Joseph Township Planning Commission Monday, Nye said the site is prime for a development like this.

“It’s a wonderful place in my mind for the apartment, and they’re needed.”

Nye said this idea meets the needs of the area as identified by organizations like Visit Southwest Michigan and Cornerstone Alliance. However, like his previous proposals for the site, nearby residents aren’t having it. Planners Monday heard an earful from them.

“This is a great space for housing, not restaurants, gas station businesses, but owner-occupied dwellings,” one woman said. “A visitor center will draw cars, RVs, etc. from I-94, which will be directly across the Bluffwood, from single-family homes with young children. This is just dangerous.”

Residents had the usual concerns, like traffic, noise, and the single family homes being too large for the area. Others said this proposal isn’t in line with the master plan or previous pledges made by the property owners.

Nye’s presentation to the planning commission on Monday was only its first.