EAST GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — One week after a judge put a stop to an East Grand Rapids project, neighbors are asking for a fresh start.

Last week, a Kent County Circuit Court judge ruled that a zoning protest petition filed by nearly 1,500 residents opposing the proposed Gaslight Village mixed-use development was legal, making the project null and void. Phase 1 of the project had been approved by commissioners in October in a 4-3 vote.

"We all want development! Work toward a plan that you can approve seven to zero," Anna Moore Butzner, one of the East Grand Rapids residents who spoke at the city's most recent meeting, told the commission.

Fellow resident David Decker made a similar plea. "I can tell you that residents want to see the city commission get to work on a new plan for development and to set a goal of, yep, a seven to zero approval," Decker said.

After the public meeting, commissioners met with the city's attorney behind closed doors. Second Ward Commissioner Brad Hunter used the opportunity to apologize to residents.

"I'm sorry that it took so many of you to prove that you weren't the small, vocal minority," Hunter said. "I'm sorry it cost you the unknown amount of money in legal fees and for the investment of time and effort to ensure that you had a voice and legal standing in these often times tense negotiations."

Under Michigan law, when a valid protest petition signed by 20 percent or more of property owners within 100 feet of a development is filed before a vote, the proposal requires a two-thirds majority to pass instead of a simple majority. The city commission had rejected the petition and passed the plan 4-3.

Residents who challenged the approval argued that the project's scale did not fit the surrounding area.

"The scale of the project is too big for the amount of area that it sits on," Jerry Anderson, one of the neighbors involved in the lawsuit, told reporters. "All we've wanted from the start is a development that enhances the character and the quality and the safety of our beloved village."

The city has 21 days from the date the judge files his final order to appeal the ruling. As of this week, East Grand Rapids officials had not said whether the city would appeal or begin reworking the plan.

The development would have been built on the lots surrounding the D&W grocery store in Gaslight Village and included residential and commercial space along with a parking garage.