Traphole Brook Protection Association and Developer Meet to Discuss Proposed Union Street and Route 1 Shopping Center Project-September 11, 1973

Representatives of the Lanning Corp. of Michigan met for a second time last night with members of the Traphole Brook Protection Association to review revised site plans for a proposed shopping center at the crucial junction of Union Street and Route 1 in Norwood.

Developer Consultation and Floodplain Concerns

The collaborative evening session also drew members of the Walpole Conservation Commission and local residents. Association officers publicly commended the corporation for its high level of cooperation in working alongside citizen groups to refine the complex’s design. However, members pushed back against specific engineering proposals intended to mitigate local flooding risks.

Robert Foster, secretary of the Traphole Brook Association, characterized the developer’s proposal to construct two dry retention basins to handle stormwater runoff as a purely “engineering solution.” Foster suggested instead that Lanning Corp. give serious consideration to an alternative plan that would restore the portion of the development bordering Traphole Brook to its original natural state.

The natural watercourse runs directly through a portion of the Lanning property, with significant acreage situated within the designated flood plain. Association President David Bird pointed out that this fragile ecological zone had previously been encroached upon through unauthorized filling allegedly conducted by the property’s former owner, Zoppo Realty Trust of Norwood. Bird noted that although legal action had been initiated against Zoppo, a court injunction halting filling operations was subsequently lifted after state authorities were reportedly informed that the practice had ceased, leaving ongoing litigation “in limbo.”

While stating he did not realistically expect Lanning Corp. to entirely restore the property to its untouched colonial condition, Bird emphasized that the association would be satisfied with substantial environmental improvements carried out collaboratively.

Engineering Solutions and Conservation Direction

Responding to environmental concerns, the corporation’s project engineer outlined the mechanics of the proposed water retention system:

• Rear Retention Basin: Designed primarily to capture and manage stormwater runoff generated across the extensive parking lot and commercial roof surfaces.
• Union Street Basin: Positioned on the corner of Union Street specifically to mitigate overflow flooding from Traphole Brook.

Furthermore, the engineer assured attendees that specialized filtration precautions would be incorporated to prevent urban pollutants from entering the retention basins and eventually draining into the brook. He maintained that the engineering design possessed sufficient storage capacity to safely manage water volumes produced by a catastrophic 100-year recurrence interval storm.

Lanning representatives expressed a continued willingness to cooperate closely with the association on site planning, though the corporate engineer noted that official regulatory direction and final approval must ultimately originate from the Norwood Conservation Commission.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger