We are not looking at this to be something that we're going to do overnight.”

Todd Stutz of Tradition Development Corp.

About 25 residents, city staff members and elected officials gathered at Hastings City Hall Sept. 3 for an early look at the proposed Pleasant Valley Farms development north of Hastings.
Rather than a traditional public hearing, the gathering had the feel of an open house. Storyboards placed around the room showed different pieces of the proposal, while representatives from the City of Hastings and Tradition Development Corp. spoke with residents individually and answered questions. The gathering lasted about an hour.
City Community Development Director John Hinzman opened the meeting by encouraging residents to speak directly with the development team.
“We've got the development team here, as you've seen some of the photos and diagrams of the development here,” Hinzman said. “If there's questions that you have, ask them during that, or certainly are available. I've been taking notes down as I've been talking to people as well.”
Todd Stutz of Tradition Development Corp. said the company has been working with the Conzemius family since last year. The family has owned the property for more than 100 years and is now likely to sell it for development.
The approximately 158-acre property sits between Featherstone Road and County Road 42. Stutz said about 58 acres would remain as preserved woodlands, wetlands or stormwater ponding areas, leaving about 100 acres to be developed. Plans also call for trails connecting to the existing Hastings trail system, a 13-acre neighborhood park and a community center with a pool, meeting space and exercise facility.
Stutz said the current concept includes roughly 390 homes, including 52 townhomes and a variety of single-family housing types. Earlier versions of the proposal have shown different housing totals as planning has progressed.
The project would not be built all at once. Stutz said Tradition expects development to take about a decade.
“We are not looking at this to be something that we're going to do overnight,” Stutz said. “This is going to be a long-term commitment on our behalf as far as the development is concerned.”
He said the company hopes the development offers housing opportunities for existing Hastings residents, including empty nesters and retirees, while also attracting new residents to the community.
One of the questions raised during the brief group discussion involved annexation of the property from Nininger Township into Hastings. Hinzman explained that the city and township used an orderly annexation agreement.
Hinzman acknowledged annexation may not have been the township's preferred outcome, but said the city does not seek out landowners and pressure them to develop property.
“We don't go out and seek development,” Hinzman said. “We're not approaching landowners to ask if they will come into the city and build houses.”
Instead, Hinzman said the city responds when a property owner is willing to consider development and annexation. The property was already within an area Hastings had identified for possible future growth if landowners chose to pursue development.
The project still has several steps ahead of it.
Hinzman said the Planning Commission is expected to consider a comprehensive plan amendment Sept. 14. That portion of the process deals with general land use and extension of municipal services to the property. A later review would focus on the plat, including subdivision of the property, open space, grading and engineering details.
“There'll be a few more touch points in which you'll be invited to come forward with questions or comments and be able to look and see what's happening,” Hinzman said.
An Environmental Assessment Worksheet is also underway because of the size of the development. Public comments on the environmental review are being accepted through Sept. 10.
If approvals proceed on schedule, Stutz said Tradition hopes to complete the formal governmental approval process by the end of the year and begin development in spring 2027.
Even then, residents should not expect hundreds of homes to appear quickly. Initial construction would begin on the southern portion of the property, with additional streets and neighborhoods built in phases as the housing market allows.
That gradual approach, Stutz said, is intentional.
“This site sort of demands our attention and demands something that's quality or unique in the marketplace,” he said.