VBT planners extend DeBuck’s Corn Maze for another year

At the June 12 regular meeting of the Van Buren Township Planning Commission, the commission approved extending the three-year temporary land use approval for DeBucks’ Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch by one more year.
This will give the township time to finalize a text amendment to the zoning ordinance to address Agritourism uses and the processing of a submitted site plan.
Dan Power, director of planning and economic development, said the ordinance is not quite ready and commission chairman Brian Cullin said glitches came up that they are able to address, but it has delayed the process.
In other business at the June 12 meeting, the commission:
• Approved recommending to the township board Agritourism text amendments to the zoning ordinance, including a last-minute addition suggested by Scott DeBuck, that playgrounds have no mechanical rides unless approved by the planning commission. The other two changes were brought to the commission by a property owner who had concerns about the required buffers that would eliminate properties with 500’ of frontage from qualifying for Agritourism and that language was adjusted. Wording to indicate “existing” Agritourism activities was added requiring a newer neighbor to put in its own buffer to an existing Agritourism site, if it deemed it was needed;
• Removed from the agenda at the request of the applicant a request for installation of an 8’ high vinyl fence on two sides of the generator enclosure at the US Signal, Inc. facility at 9275 Haggerty Rd.; and
• Heard director Power report that the Jiffy Lube site plan for an outlot at Meijer has expired and he has yet to hear its final decision on building. There has been no formal withdrawal, he said. Commissioner Atchinson asked if he could find out why they haven’t built. She said the community is underserved in that area.