History

The history of our subdivision and the Bannister Lakes Homeowners Association. Photos are from the Macomb County Property Analyzer Historic Photos. Click the photos to open the larger PDF source.

InterestinG links:

Macomb County Bannister Lake Property Analyzer

Macomb County Hawkins Lake Property Analyzer

Getting started

The property, which contains the Cedar Lakes Subdivisions #1 and #2 and the Bannister Lakes Subdivisions #1, #2 and #3, was originally three separate farms.  The Westlake farm contained 80 acres and the Lynch and the Engel farms together also contained 80 acres.  Combined, they form a ½ mile square of 160 acres.  The present day boundaries of the subdivisions conform to the uneven shape of the farms that existed at the time they were purchased.  It Is believed the sale of these three farms occurred in the middle 1970’s.  The developer, Lombardo filed building and use restrictions for all five of the subdivisions contained within the area of the three farms.  These restrictions were filed on May 13th, 1979 and were recorded by Macomb County at various dates for the five subdivisions.  It is known that the recording for Cedar Lakes #2 (Kramer Dr) occurred on August 31st, 1979.  

  The first homes to be built in the new subdivisions occurred in 1979 on Ben Franklin Drive.  By July 1983, there were 45 homes built within the five subdivisions.  At least four homes were in existence when the purchase and development on the area began in the middle 1970’s.  All four fronted onto 21 Mile Road, three as farm residences and one as a separate house that still remains today.  Two of the farmhouses were torn down to clear the land and the last of the four has been rebuilt and modernized.  It also still stands but now faces inward onto Bannister Dr. In 1995, a new private residence was built facing 21 Mile Road on property that was not plotted within a subdivision.  Of these five properties, four were never required to join a homeowners association while the fifth is believed to have been included in Bannister Lakes Sub #1, cleared of the existing farmhouse and now contains a new home on Bannister Drive.      

BUILDING BEGINS

Cedar Lakes Subdivision #1 was formed from the Lynch farm and the east part of the Engel farm and contains 105 homes on approximately 58 acres.  The farmhouse for the Lynch farm is believed to have been located on the west side of the present intersection of Ben Franklin and Cedar Drive.  The legal description of this property indicates this property was never included in any the subdivisions.  Cedar Lakes Subdivision #2 is presently on the west portion of the Engel farm.  The rebuilt house at the north end of Kramer is believed to have been the location of the Engel farmhouse.  There are now 42 homes on 22 acres in Cedar Lakes Subdivision #2.  Bannister Lakes Subdivisions #1, #2 and #3 were placed on the property of the Westlake farm.  These three projects contain 146 homes on the original 80 acres.  The farmhouse for the Westlake farm is believed to have been located west of present day Hunter Blvd. 

It is thought the development of these properties began sometime in the middle 1970’s when Cosimo Lombardo and his partners purchased the farms and the development of the land began in preparation for construction as a residential project.  The progress of development and building was delayed by the downturn of the national economy and the very high interest rates that occurred in 1979-1982.  The first homes were built in 1979 in Cedar Lakes Subdivision #1 and in 1980, the first homes were built in the area that later became the Bannister Lakes Homeowners Association.  In that year, ten homes were built in our area with three more in 1981.  Construction slowed considerably with no home built in 1982, only one in 1983 and four in 1984.  The boom in construction began in 1985 with 35 homes built followed by 69 in 1986 and 46 in 1987.  As the properties filled up with homes, construction slowed and finally ended.     

Our 2 lakes are identified in shelby township records by their Parcel Numbers:  Bannister Lake 23-07-35-105-010 and Hawkins Lake 23-07-35-153-013. 

THE SUBDIVISIONS ARE FORMED

Nine homes were built in 1988, six in 1989, two in 1990.  The last six remaining vacant lots were filled with homes, two in 1990, and one in each of the years 1991, 1992, 1996 and 1999.  So, we see the first home was built in 1980 and the last in 1999 in our association area.  Presently, there is nine different builders known to have built homes here, more may come to light later.  The nine builders are Lombardo Homes, Lakeview Builders, Banner Construction, D&T Builders, Fontana, Golden Homes, Joseph Michael Building (Michael Chirco), Falzetta Building (John Falzetta) and Classic Residential Construction (Anthony Chirco).  This does not include the several lots that were purchased by an individual who arranged his own construction. 

Because of the several builders constructing homes in our area, many homes were utilized as models.  Eight homes on Bannister Drive are known to have been used as a model or an office at various times, with at least one other thought to have been used as a model.      

The Cedar Lakes Homeowners Association was formed from the 105 homes in Cedar Lakes Subdivision #1.  The 146 homes within the Bannister Lakes Subdivision #1, #2 and #3 formed the Bannister Lakes Homeowners Association in 1986.  They were joined by the 42 Residents of Cedar Lakes Subdivision #2 (Kramer Dr), who voted in 1986 to join the Bannister Lakes Homeowners Association instead of the Cedar Lakes Homeowners Association.  The exact reasons why these residents made this decision is presently unclear except to say some residents believed they used the Bannister entrance and not the Ben Franklin entrance.  They did not wish to pay the cost of maintaining the island entrance on Ben Franklin Dr. 

FORMATION OF THE ASSOCIATION

Shelby Township required the developer to establish a resident’s organization to govern the subdivisions before the builders and developers could leave when the project ended.  To meet this requirement, the developer, Cosimo Lombardo recorded building and use restrictions for each of the five subdivisions with the papers for Cedar Lakes Sub #1 been recorded on October 26th, 1978.  Cedar Lakes Sub #2 followed with recording on August 31st, 1979, Bannister Lakes Sub #1 on November 15th 1979.  The last two subs followed with Bannister Lakes Sub #3, the last to be recorded, occurring on January 8th, 1980.  The documents filed and recorded were building and use restrictions for the five respective subdivisions.  They established certain rules for construction and use restrictions upon the residents who were required to join their subdivision association.  They became binding covenants on the properties within the developments. 

During the year of 1986, a group of members worked to form a homeowners association that would incorporate the three different Bannister Lakes subdivisions.  At a homeowners meeting held in November 1986, the majority of the residents approved the formation of the Bannister Lakes Homeowners Association.  The members of the Cedar Lakes Subdivision #2 promptly joined them for reasons outlined above during the same month.  Thus was formed our present day association containing 188 member residents.  Although many lots remained vacant, they all were part of the association.  Earlier, in 1986, work had begun on the writing of by-laws and building & use restrictions to govern the proposed organization.  With the assistance of legal counsel, the Articles of Incorporation, By-laws and the Supplemental Building and Use Restrictions were composed during 1986 and at meeting on November 25th, 1986 were approved by the membership of the new Association.  Cedar Lakes Sub Association #2 joined with the Bannister Lakes Homeowners Association at this time.  The process for filing with the State of Michigan and the recording the Association documents with the Macomb County Register of deeds began.  On November 10th, 1987, the State issued a charter to our Association as a non-profit corporation.  Two days later, Macomb County recorded the papers for the Association that established our Association rules.  

Bannister Lakes Homeowners Association recorded on November 12, 1987, Liber 4320 pages 933 through 966.

Our Subdivision is Town Parcel #35.