VBT board approves amendment to Walden Woods agreement

The planned unit development agreement (PUD) that Van Buren Township had with original developer Hayden Gregory Associates for the construction of Walden Woods subdivision has now been amended to pave the way for new developer Pulte Homes to build an 88-unit, single-family residental development on a vacant site.
At the Oct. 1 regular meeting of the Van Buren Township Board of Trustees, Ron Akers, director of municipal services, explained that the township attorney has approved of the changes. The board unanimously approved the changes.
Supervisor Kevin McNamara was absent and excused from the meeting and Treasurer Sharry Budd presided.
Director Akers said Pulte Homes had expressed interest in the property and submitted plans to build the residential development on the vacant property located at the northwest corner of Tyler and Morton Taylor roads.
This property was a part of the original development agreement for Walden Woods subdivision and was originally slated for multi-family and commercial development.
The project has been before the planning commission for recommendation and a preliminary site plan approval, but was tabled until questions about the required changes to the existing Walden Woods PUD agreement were answered, since the township no longer has PUDs.
Akers said the township staff and township legal counsel met with Pulte to discuss various options for how to proceed and they came up with an amended agreement , which would allow the planning commission to continue with their site plan review process.
Akers said, in general, the amendment to the original PUD site plan allows the replacement of multi-family and commercial development to allow for the construction of an 88-unit single family residential development subject to the PRD (planned residential development) standards in the zoning code.
The other significant item in the agreement is that there is language which specifies that Morton Taylor Road will be paved to the entrance to the Walden Woods subdivision and measures relating to timing and performance guarantees.
The project goes back to the planning commission to work toward preliminary and final site plan approvals.
In other business at the 40-minute meeting on Oct. 1, the board:
• Held a three-minute public hearing during which no public spoke on the 2024 amended and proposed 2025 general fund budget, water/sewer budget, and nine special revenue budgets (Downtown Development Authority, Local Development Finance Authority, Landfill, Belleville Area Museum, E-911 Service, Federal Forfeiture, State Forfeiture, Long Term Debt, and Capital Improvement. The final approval of the budgets is expected at the Oct. 15 board meeting;
• Approved the reappointments of Ben Ross and Ron Merritt to the Environmental commission with terms to expire Oct. 1, 2027;
• Received and filed the Sept. 18 resolution from the Environmental Commission to support the board of trustees participation in intergovernmental litigation to prohibit the acceptance of radioactive waste. Trustee Don Boynton read the resolution into the record;
• Approved the 2025 Departmental Fee Schedule, which Clerk Leon Wright referred to as an annual housekeeping item;
• Approved the disposal of township owned parcel 83 099 99 0015 706 Haggerty Road by selling the flag lot split into three parcel to the three adjoining property owners at a cost of $6,500 each for a total of $19,500. The land was obtained by the township in 2007 in a first right of refusal format from the county for property with unpaid property tax. The township paid $15,190.71. The divided property will combined with the deeds of 14970, 15150, and 15000 Haggerty Road;
• Approved special land use, as recommended by the planning commission, for the new Sheetz gas station/restaurant at the southwest corner of Ecorse and Haggerty roads. Alex Sawicki of Sheetz announced that the family chain had opened its 766 location the day before. He said Sheetz has invested $9 million in the Van Buren Township and will bring 30-35 full-time jobs. He said Sheetz has been named one of the top 100 best places to work in the country and recently was named second-best in the country. The first Sheetz in Michigan opened in August in Romulus;
• Approved the second reading and approval of rezoning of a parcel west of the Costco Truck Terminal on Belleville Road from M-1 light industrial to M-2 general industrial;
• Heard Heather Smiley, Republican candidate for U.S. Congress, remind them at the recent town hall she was the one advising them to file a legal injunction. She said she has spent 32 years in a business environment and urged them to push legislation on a state level to get the radioactive waste problem solved. She said legal action is going to cost money locally. She said three-quarters of Michigan’s trash comes from Canada. She said solving the problem on a federal level will be a difficult thing to do;
• Heard Clerk Leon Wright said as of Oct. 31, the Nov. 5 election was 34 days away, there are several options, and people should make a plan now to vote;
• Heard candidate Smiley warn the township to make sure it has enough water and sewer service for the Pulte development and Treasurer Budd said the township has had its engineers and sewer/water department make sure all is well; and
• Heard Trustee Martin say he had been at the ribbon cutting for the French Landing Park earlier in the day and the renovation of the park has been an outstanding job and he praised those working on the project. He said that he and Treasurer Budd did not take them up on the offer to ride in a kayak.