VBT Planners approve new pool, outbuilding for BYC

The Belleville Yacht Club at 831 E. Huron River Dr. received unanimous site plan approval from the Van Buren Township Planning Commission on Oct. 24 to build a 24’x50′ outdoor swimming pool between its building and the lake.
Planning Commissioner Medina Atchinson abstained from the discussion and the vote since she said her husband was a BYC member and she received services at the club.
The club also received site plan approval for a 12’x40′ accessory building, but its exact placement will be determined by Ron Akers, VBT Director of Planning and Economic Development, and Fire Marshal Dave McInally to make sure the fire engines can access the site in case of an emergency.
BYC president Scott Jones said the storage building will be to store cushions that are taken in and out in the summer and storage for the winter.
Director Akers said there was no need for an engineering review, since the property was reviewed in 2017 when the Tiki Bar was constructed. They will make sure the landscaping for that is complete.
Akers said the building permit is already applied for and it meets the required setbacks.
He said the pool will be surrounded by a 5′ fence with a self-latching gate.
Akers said the neighbor to the east asked for an opaque fence instead of bushes and they did it.
Commissioner Don Boynton asked about the pool’s closeness to the Tiki Bar.
“Suppose someone has a fantastic time at the Tiki Bar and rolls into the pool?” Commissioner Boynton asked.
Jones said they had addressed that with the power cover on the pool. Also, he said, Belleville Lake is right there.
In other business at the one-hour-and-seven minute meeting on Oct. 24, the commission:
• Approved the final site plan for construction of a wireless, 125′ monopole cell tower and associated support structures at the northwest corner of Ecorse and Morton Taylor roads by Parallel Infrastructure for Verizon, with other wireless carriers, as well. The township approved special land use for the project on Jan. 10, 2018 and then “started the odyssey with Wayne County, getting approvals late last month,” said Jonathan Crane, civil engineer and attorney for Parallel;
• Approved temporary land use for one year for Costco Wholesale Corporation at 5860 Belleville Rd. to construct temporary container parking at the west side of their existing truck depot. Additional parking is needed for the holiday season and they are talking of a permanent solution for the southwest corner of the site. Costco originally
wanted it on the east side of the site, but at the last minute moved it to the west. Akers said, actually, the west side is less impactful. Costco representatives said the west side is the dry side of the site and there is a dust-control plan;
• Voted unanimously to recommend to the township board a Public Participation Plan put together by Eastern Michigan University intern Melissa Kalnasy. It is expected to be on the township board agenda in December; and
• Heard Akers announce that Neapco, on Haggerty Road near L&W Engineering, submitted its final site plan for a 70,000-square-foot building in front of its present location and Subaru broke ground and its building permit was approved earlier that day.