VBT board releases Sumpter Rd. Corridor Plan for 42-day review

A draft of the Sumpter Road Corridor Plan was released for 42 days of review by neighboring communities and service providers after the Van Buren Township Board of Trustees unanimously passed a resolution on March 1.
Dan Power, director of planning and economic development, gave an overview of the 60-page document that will come back to the planning commission after the 42-day review for a public hearing and final adoption.
Director Power said overlay zoning for the Sumpter Road Corridor is being developed. He said the plan depends on the property owners and when they wish to develop, the new rules kick in.
The plan is for both sides of Sumpter Road from the City of Belleville on the north to Sumpter Township on the south.
In other business at the one-hour-and-18-minute regular meeting, the board:
• Viewed a presentation on the site plan and interior design of the proposed Community Center by Steve Gedert of Neumann Smith, principal architect in charge of the project. The site plan goes to the planning commission for consideration at its March 9 meeting and construction could start at the end of the summer, said Elizabeth Renaud, director of community services;
• Heard a presentation by Director Power on the township’s Blight Control Management and Demolition program under the Building and Planning Department. He said there is inspection and several notices for violation compliance. If no response, the township freezes permits and proceeds with demolition. He said they presently have more than 30 ongoing property rehab and demolition cases;
• Heard Police Chief Jason Wright reply to resident Steven Dark’s virtual question on how the new license plate cameras are working. Chief Wright said it is working well for the department and officers are just learning how to use it and it cannot be used for personal reasons under their strict policy. Thirty cameras are up and it goes to the officers’ cars and they can access it on the street. He said there were two recent incidents, one called a kidnapping at the school where a man, not on the list but was known to school officials, picked up two children and drove off. He said they narrowed down the time frame, date, color of car, paper plate and Canton Township recovered the vehicle for them in five minutes. He said the officers are getting good at this and they had rollcall trainings for the basics. He said the younger officers are on their computers all the time and it comes easy to them; and
• Heard Clerk Leon Wright ask what Chief Wright thought about homeowners’ associations getting cameras and Chief Wright replied, “Yes, they should.” He said the Flock cameras started out in Georgia for homeowner associations. “They have a private side and law enforcement side,” Chief Wright said. He said the annual lease cost is $2,500 per camera for law enforcement and they replace the camera without cost if someone hits one.