Sumpter planners recommend kosher/halal slaughterhouse request

A former dog kennel will become a custom slaughterhouse if all goes well for new property owner Adil Almaliky of Dearborn Heights.
At the July 12 meeting of the Sumpter Township Planning Commission, the commission held a public hearing and then voted unanimously to recommend approval to the township board for a special land use permit for the project, which is in a General Industrial zoning district.
The commission could have allowed the new business to have a gravel parking lot, but Commission Chairwoman Jane Stalmack said the commission wants to follow the ordinance’s requirement for a hard surface parking area because that is what has been required for others.
Absent from the meeting were Commissioners Joy Cichewicz and Matthew Oddy. A new member on the commission is Tim Rush, who was present replacing Jay Bardell. Bardell’s term expired and Supervisor John Morgan did not reappoint him, although Bardell said he wished to continue to serve.
The application for special land use was submitted for the 9.51-acre property at 50425 Bemis Road, the former site of The Pet Resort. It is just east of Fox Auto and the Norfolk & Southern railroad is on the east and south borders of the property.
The existing primary structure is about 1,460 square feet, which will be used as office space, a processing room, and a lounge area.
Attached to the primary structure is a structure of about 876 square feet, which will house the slaughter room. The structure is covered with a 40×60′ roof with the perimeter of the area fenced for use as a stock yard. There will be a walk-in freezer big enough to hang 20 carcasses.
Almaliky said he wants to use the property for a custom USDA slaughterhouse to serve the kosher/halal needs within the township and surrounding area. He said all livestock will be selected from local farmers and livestock auction — hormone free, grass fed and all natural. American lamb, cattle, sheep, goat, and chicken will be sold and processed.
Customers will visit the site and select an animal of their choice. Once processed the meat will be packaged and given to the customer. He said in the future he would like to sell wholesale to restaurants.
He said you cannot mix poultry with other animals on the same day.
Customers will be able to arrange to have the animals they raise slaughtered and processed, he said.
Tyler Lasser of Carlisle Wortman filled in for Christopher Atkin the township’s planning consultant, who was absent.
Lasser advised Almaliky that the landscaping removed to hook up to utilities needs to be replaced and the location of the dumpster needs to be shown.
Former planning Commissioner Jay Bardell recommended, during the public hearing, that Almaliky visit nearby slaughterhouses in Milan, Manchester and Canton to study their procedures, since Almaliky said it was his first slaughterhouse venture.
“Dunbar’s is as clean as an operating room,” Bardell said, referring to the slaughterhouse in Milan. “You’ll be impressed.”
Almaliky said he wanted to get the approval first and then he would work with the USDA to get the details exactly right. He said they are very tough and he wants to do it their way. They will walk him through every step, he said.
He said he has employees downtown who are professional butchers and have gone to academies. They will do the slaughtering.
Almaliky said he owns a grocery store in Detroit, in the Southfield/Warren area, Barakah Poultry, where live chickens are brought in every morning from Indiana and they slaughter them and sell to customers.
Commissioner Rush said he visited the property on Bemis and the grass was high. Almaliky said he will cut the grass. He said he has a tractor in the back to use. He said he owns another piece of property on Judd and Karr.
During the public hearing, Norm Debuck said he runs turf operations next door and animals getting out of the slaughterhouse pen could cause substantial damage. He wanted to make sure there would be a sturdy fence to keep in larger animals.