Sumpter Twp. planners postpone decision on paintball field on Judd

After an-hour-and-a-half public hearing before a packed, noisy meeting room on Feb. 13, the Sumpter Township Planning Commission decided to postpone any action for two months on a request for special land use exception for an outdoor recreation area on Judd Road.
Earle Mott and his son Alex of Farmington would like to buy the vacant 58 acres available on the north side of Judd, between Sumpter and Martinsville, to be used for a low-impact, pneumatic paintball field, with possible future use for laser tag and a private soccer practice field.
Alex said they’ve had a paintball store in Livonia for five years and they would like to have an area for their customers and others to enjoy.
Sumpter’s planning consultant Chris Atkin said they did not expect all this opposition and a big crowd. He said there is no rezoning planned from the RF zoning and the use proposed is very low impact. It will not operate after dark.
He said a strea m cuts through the property and nothing is planned beyond the stream which is wetlands. Existing tree lines will stay in place as 100-foot buffers, with a 250-foot buffer to the southeast. More trees will be added at the east property line that is next to a vacant parcel, that may not be vacant in the future.
Parking will be in front and the existing approach will be used to provide two-way traffic.
He said four shipping containers will be stacked to provide a temporary office with a walk-up window for registration and a storage area. Gravel will be added for the drive and parking, or other improved surface, he said. Additional barrier-free parking will be added and they are talking to the fire department about safety.
Alex said his father, sitting in the back row wearing a brace, has a back injury from an accident and he was there to answer any questions and dispel any rumors that have been going around.
A man called out that the site is across the road from the cell tower exit.
The commission provided no maps and did not use the large screen on the wall to project the location of the site. Alex got a paper map from Trustee Matt Oddy and Alex went around the room showing the map to small groups in the crowd.
Alex said neighbors wouldn’t be able to see or hear anything. He said later he wished the members of the community would look at this as an asset.
After more than 20 people spoke mostly against the project that they feared would put an end to their rural lifestyle, the owners of the property spoke.
Mary Ellen Rounsifer of Ypsilanti explained that the 58 acres was left to her and her sister when her father, Ron Rounsifer, passed last year. She said the land has been in the family for 100 years and taxes have been paid on it over many years.
After her father passed, they put the property on the market because they had no interest in farming. She said if this project doesn’t go through, that property will go back on the market and the final use could be more intrusive than the present plans.
“I like keeping it natural,” Mary Ellen said. “I have a lot of good memories there when I was a girl.” She said her first home was at 44500 Judd Rd.
Mary Ellen said there are not a lot of activities for people in Sumpter Township. She said when the present roller rink was a bowling alley, her dad was a pin-setter.
Rene Rounsifer of Ann Arbor said the 58 acres is the land her father loved. “I think it would upset him that this is upsetting to the neighbors.” She said it would stay as a natural setting.
Rene remembers teaching at Elwell Elementary School and the kids in the neighborhood across the street in the mobile home park would use the school playground. All that is gone now.
Oddy made a motion, seconded by Virginia Belinski, to postpone the rest of the public hearing until the April 9 commission meeting to give the developers time to answer the questions about what tax impact there will be, whether it is wetlands, requirements for the temporary building, a grade review for the parking area, and whether there is a utility easement along the edge that would interfere with the project.
The motion passed unanimously.
Alex said the scheduled closing date on the property is March 4 or 5. He said they have been talking with the township about their plans since October.
Towing business
Planner Atkin told the commission a property owner would like to do a towing and impound business on a general industrial property between the tracks and Rawsonville on Bemis. He said this use is not permitted in general industrial zoning now and the zoning would have to be changed to make this possible.
Commissioner Jim Clark said it would end up being an eyesore and Oddy said that would be the place to put it, right next to 4,000 cars at the Auto Auction and more than 2,000 at Fox.
Atkin said he would look into it and bring samples of zonings from other townships to the next meeting.
Commission members present at the meeting were chairwoman Jane Stallmack and Virginia Belinski, Jim Clark, Mary Sherwood, and Trustee Matt Oddy. Absent were Tyrone Borden and Richard Pokerwinski.