VBT holds workshops on what to put on Master Plan

Van Buren Township held two workshops last week, one for the public on Oct. 1 and one the next day for township elected and appointed officials and members of boards and commissions.
Adam Cook of McKenna planning consultants is managing work on the updated Master Plan that is being put together.
He said 50 people turned out on Oct. 1 for public comment.
He said the last comprehensive Master Plan for Van Buren Township was published in 1988. He said many sub-area plans were put in place over the last 30 years and they want to update the plan and combine all the pieces into one document for easier access by staff and the public.
Cook said they had two online surveys to ask the public what they wanted for their township and more than 1,300 responded. The first survey, the summer of 2018, had 99% of respondents that were homeowners.
They wanted to get what renters wanted too, because they have needs. That’s why they had another online survey last summer, with flyers being taken out to apartment complexes to get them involved.
Cook said in the 2019 online survey, with about 40 questions, 67% responding were homeowners, 21% were renters, and 9% were residents of the City of Belleville, which he said was a close neighbor and their ideas were important.
He said most agreed that Belleville Lake was the crown jewel of the community.
He said the negative comments included roads, vacant buildings, traffic volume, lack of non-motorized transportation, lack of cultural events, and truck traffic.
Some of the comments received at the workshop were that Van Buren Park needs to be made special and there is a new opportunity to redevelop the Kmart site as a gateway to the township.
Also, there was talk about if a sewer was put south of Hull Road what would that do to the township as far as development? Is it important to keep the southern part of the township rural, or not, he asked.
On Oct. 3, the workshop featured a catered meal by Angel Food of Van Buren Township, and then those present were asked to look over all the comments made on boards and maps and affixed by sticky notes and to offer comments of their own.
Work continues on updating of the Master Plan.
Those with questions or comments on the Master Plan process may call Public Services Director Matthew Best at (734) 699-8913.