VBT Planners recommend repealing marijuana ordinances

At the Oct. 25 meeting of the Van Buren Township Planning Commission, the commission held a public hearing during which no public spoke on repealing medical marijuana cultivation facilities regulations.
Then the commission voted to repeal the regulations and send its recommendation to the township board for a final decision.
Ron Akers, director of planning and economic development, said the existing marijuana moratorium ends in December and there are no licensed facilities in the township.
He said the township’s committee on the new medical marijuana provisions came to the consensus to move forward with the opt-out provision. He said the township will pass a resolution to state VBT is opting out.
In other business at the Oct. 25 meeting, the commission:
• Held a public hearing during which no public spoke on amendments to the zoning ordinance regarding detention pond location and setbacks for off-street parking and loading areas, access drives, and paved surfaces accessory to a distribution center. Then, the commission voted to recommend those changes to the township board for a final decision. These changes were inspired by a site plan submittal by Ashley Capital North;
• Approved a site plan amendment for the approved Country Walk site plan for revised single family architectural elevations, with a stipulation of removing one of the elevations from the request. Upland Homes is constructing homes in the unfinished Country Walk subdivision, located on the east side of Martinsville Road, north of Savage Road;
• Approved preliminary site plan for the VBT Downtown Development Authority’s Placemaking plan to construct an office building and a park on its property at 10151, 10065, 10085, and 10101 Belleville Road. Commissioners questioned the design, since it has enforced the DDA’s plan to have red brick on new businesses along Belleville Road and this building doesn’t have red brick. “If there’s a change, we should know,” said Chairwoman Thompson. “The requirement came from the DDA.” Commissioner Joan Franzoi said since it is not a commerical building, maybe it could get some leeway. Commmission Vice Chairman Donald Boynton said he would like red brick since businesses would say, “We’ve been required to do such and such and the township doesn’t have to follow its own rules.” The DDA will take the design back to the architect to reconsider the design;
• Approved removing from the agenda a special land use request and final site plan approval for Parallel Infrastructure’s 125-foot tall cell tower at 43430 Ecorse Road. Removal was at the applicant’s request;
• Discussed the upcoming work on a new Master Plan and appointed Commissioners Medina Atchinson, Bryon Kelley, and Sharry Budd to serve on the Master Plan Subcommittee. Sloan said the Master Plan originally was adopted in 1989, and it has had amendments in 1999, Single Family Residential Plan; 2000, Ecorse-Haggerty Corridor Plan; 2001, Grace Lake Area Plan; 2007, South Side Master Plan; and 2010, Belleville Road District Plan. Everything will be in one plan with the new Master Plan; and
• Was informed of an open house put on by the VBT Board of Trustees for all commission and committee members on Thursday, Nov. 30, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Express. The public also is invited;