VBT planners approve preliminary site plan for Ashley Capital building

Ashley Capital has a prospective tenant for a new building in its Crossroads Distribution Center between Ecorse and Van Born roads and the Van Buren Township Planning Commission gave preliminary site plan approval for the project at its regular meeting on Sept. 27.
The commission also approved recommending to the township board of trustees special land use for the project.
A public hearing was held before consideration of the site plan and Susan Farr, whose Haggerty Road home backs up to the Ashley properties, spoke in opposition.
Farr said she had been fighting Ashley Capital for years. She said Haggerty Road is impassable. Recently a tire came off a semi vehicle and into her yard, almost killing her husband. She said there were 17 cars in one night that were disabled on Haggerty and many came to her door to ask for assistance.
She said Ashley took over the road from the county and nothing’s been done, as the road gets more impassable. Farr suggested the commissioners look on Facebook to see what people are saying about Haggerty Road between Ecorse and Van Born. She left the meeting after her remarks.
Discussion on the two approvals was intermingled as the commission gathered information for its decisions.
Vidya Krishnan, principal planner for McKenna, said there have been traffic concerns on Haggerty Road by residents and reconstruction is scheduled for 2024.
She said a traffic study for Ashley did not require any changes, but there will be addition of a traffic light on Haggerty, half way between Ecorse and Van Born roads, for access.
Applicant Kyle Wood, speaking for Ashley, said they have a tenant looking to lease about 400,000 square feet, the south two-thirds of the new 630,000 square foot building being planned. He said the tenant will be moving from Romulus.
Wood said the new building is almost a quarter-mile long.
He said there has been a year-long delay as Ashley worked with EGLE on the wetlands and conservation easements are being set up. He said if it goes to the Southeastern Michigan Conservation district, it would have to be open to the public with walking trails.
He said the building originally was planned to be 950,000 square feet, but they lost one-third while working with EGLE.
The conservation easement next to the ITC corridor on the property creates the need for an appeal to the Zoning Board of Appeal for setbacks.
Wood said Haggerty Road is a problem and he doesn’t like Haggerty Road. He said Ashley fronted engineering costs of $300,000 and in December Ashley was awarded state money.
He said on Aug. 2, the state gave approval to bid out the Haggerty project from Ecorse north to Van Born. The project includes a new township water main that is expected to be put in place this winter. The road will be completely reconstructed in 2024 and there is all the money to begin, he said.
Commissioner Bernie Grant said Haggerty has been a problem for about five years and full-size semis drive on the wrong side of the road to avoid the huge potholes.
Director of Planning and Economic Development Dan Power reported Wayne County said completion would be in early 2025.
Commissioner Grant said there are one-and-a-half to two-foot deep potholes. He suggested a temporary, safe paving to make it safe in the winter.
Wood said Ashley got a grant for the road, but it isn’t really a partner in the project.
He said they hope to line up completion of this new building, Building 11, with the completion of Haggerty. In the worse case scenario they would close Haggerty for six months and they would send all Ashley’s traffic to Ecorse.
Commissioner Jeff Jahr asked if there is to be a traffic signal at the new intersection and Wood replied that it was part of the total project and noted in the plans.
Commissioner Jackson Pahle asked what if they didn’t get that tenant and Wood said they may slow up on the construction of that building. The tenant needs to be in by Nov. 1, 2024.
Commissioner Medina Atchinson asked if it would be possible to resurface and the township’s consulting engineer said the base under the road can’t hold the weight. He said if they resurfaced, it would be the same as it is now within a month and would be a waste of money.
The engineer said they could fill the potholes and grade the shoulders, but the county may not want to spend the money.
“With two-foot-deep holes, something has to happen to make it safe for cars,” said Commissioner Grant. “It’s embarrassing. It gets worse every year, like someone dropped bombs – craters,” he said, adding he doesn’t know if it’s Ashley’s job.
Wood said it is 45 days before the asphalt plant closes for the winter and he will talk to the county. He said his father’s tire blew out on that roadway.
Director Power suggested all citizens are able to call in hazard reports to the county and he will put that number on the website.
Atchinson said trucks don’t take the roads they agree to take. She said she calls Cosco.
Woods said Ashley’s traffic goes to Ecorse to I-275 and has to stay on Class A roads.
Krishnan said the only company that has a restriction is Cosco. They are not to go down Belleville Road.
Wood said if they see one of Ashley’s tenants going down Belleville Road to call Ashley.
In discussing details of the site plan, Ashley said they plan to install EV station infrastructure in the greenspace for future hook ups. They won’t put EV stations next to the buildings because they are afraid the batteries might catch on fire and burn the building.
Ashley engineer Joe Webb said they will be moving to abandon Bell Drain on the building site. He said the drain was formerly a farm ditch created a long time ago and it ends on this property.
In other business at the three-hour-18-minute meeting, the commission:
• Held a public hearing on proposed zoning ordinance text amendments on Child Care Uses and then unanimously voted to recommend adoption by the Township Board of Trustees. The amendments grant the Board of Trustees the ability to modify minimum required separation requirements between licensed group day care homes, upon recommendation from the planning commission, based upon certain findings; and
• Heard Director Power report that Ricardo was delayed in its testing that was approved, but now is moving forward. Also, the proposed architecture change for a lot on N. Cumberland Dr. in Country Walk is still pending. Also, the Mobil station sign is still standing at the corner of Haggerty Road and the North I-94 Service Drive and it will be removed through construction. He said the site plan for the gas station was approved on Aug. 23 and the next day, Aug. 24, there were floodwaters at that site and gas was in the water and remediation needed to be taken.
Commissioner Peter Creal was absent from the meeting.