VBT Planners cancel meeting where there’s no quorum for business

On Sept. 27, the Van Buren Township Planning Commission cancelled its regular meeting after waiting seven minutes for a quorum to show up.
Present were three members: Chairperson Carol Thompson, Commissioner Medina Atchinson, and Treasurer Sharry Budd, who sits on the commission as liaison to the township board. A quorum is four.
At the last meeting Commissioner Joan Franzoi alerted the group that she would be unable to attend the Sept. 27 meeting, Bryon Kelley was at the Michigan Association of Planners conference with Ron Akers and Matthew Best of the planning and economic development department, and Donald Boynton had to work. There has been a vacancy for several months after the resignation of Ronald Jackson.
The Sept. 27 agenda carried a request for final site plan approval for a 17,477.34-square-foot addition to the west side of the Continental Canteen building at 7850 Haggerty Road.
The three representatives of the project present for the meeting said they are anxious to get started before the weather changes and Chairwoman Thompson said she would talk to Director Akers about a possible special meeting to consider approval of the site plan.
[On Tuesday, Akers announced there was a special meeting set for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 4, to handle the agenda.] Also on the agenda was discussion of proposed text amendments to the zoning ordinance concerning distribution centers and storm-water ponds. Changes were brought forth by McKenna Associates planning consultants when reviewing a site plan application for Ashley Capital Crossroads North, located on the north side of Ecorse Road, west of Haggerty.
The next regular meeting of the planning commission is 7:30 p.m. Oct. 11.