Editorial: Sumpter planners give slaughterhouse back to board

On Aug. 21, in a special meeting of the Sumpter Township Planning Commission, the special land use for the proposed slaughterhouse at 50425 Bemis Road was discussed and details sent back to the township board so it could make a final decision.
The commission already had approved the special land use for a slaughterhouse at its July meeting, but had not sent sufficient details to the township board, who sent it back to the commission for more information.
On Aug. 21, a roomful of angry residents spoke to the commission after its vote. They were concerned about odor, mostly, and reduced property values.
Planning consultant Chris Atkin aggressively defended the procedure followed to post the public hearing. In fact, the notice was published twice in the Independent, the newspaper of record, because of a slight error the township made in the first posting, he said.
Township attorney Rob Young who usually does not attend planning commission meetings, also was very forceful in defending the legal steps taken by the township for this decision. But, the people still weren’t happy and said they would continue their opposition.
The slaughterhouse now goes to the township board for its final decision, possibly at its Aug. 28 regular meeting. We expect the unhappy residents to be back to confront the board.