New VBT resident finds his home’s property is zoned Commercial

David Woodward, 51257 W. Huron River Drive, wanted to build a garage on his new home site, but when he went to the Van Buren Township offices to get a permit, he got a surprise.
He said when he purchased the property all his paperwork said the 0.55 acre is Residential, but he found the previous owner had rezoned it to Commercial.
Woodward said the neighbors told him it’s always been a home.
Woodward told his story at an April 8 public hearing before the VBT Planning Commission to get his property rezoned Residential.
His home is just east of the Rite Aid shopping center.
Jack Knowles, VBT Director of Planning and Economic Development, said the township master plan has the property as Residential and it is surrounded on the south and east by Residential properties.
“We’ll investigate the records,” said planning consultant Sally Hodges of McKenna Associates. “There was discussion of this property when the strip center was built.”
“We’ll try to get it straightened out,” commission chairperson Carol Thompson told Woodward, noting the commission seldom makes a decision on an issue the same night as the public hearing.
No member of the public spoke on the issue during the three-minute public hearing.
In other business at the 16-minute meeting on April 8, the commission:
• Held a public hearing on USA Fireworks request for temporary land use approval beyond the allowable seven consecutive days in order to set up a fireworks tent at Faith United Methodist Church, 6020 Denton Road. Jason Jackson, new this year at USA, said the fireworks tent is on church property and, “We pay them rent and they run the tent.” No one spoke at the four-minute public hearing and the issue is expected to be voted upon at the next planning commission meeting April 22; and
• Unanimously voted to recommend approval to the township board of an outdoor dining amendment to the zoning ordinance to set guidelines for outdoor dining in the C-1 and C-2 districts. The township board makes the final decision. Commissioner Joan Franzoi asked if there has been any input from any restaurants on the amendment and Knowles said there has been no input.