VBT planners hear 2-hr. report on Economic Dev. Strategy, Marketing

The only thing on the agenda for the Van Buren Township Planning Commission regular meeting on June 26 was an informal presentation from planning consultant Vidya Krishnan of McKenna Associates on the new 2024 VBT Economic Development Strategy and Marketing Plan.
She spoke for slightly less than two hours to outline every aspect of the document with graphics. The plan will be used to get the township certification as a Developmental Ready Community through the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC).
Krishnan said the certification immediately opens the community up to grants.
Director of Planning and Economic Development Dan Power said the next step is for the planning commission to endorse the plan and send it on to the township board for approval.
When the board adopts the plan, it will be immediately sent on to the state, where the community will be certified and grant applications can begin at once.
“Being certified really is a big deal,” Krishnan told the planners.
But the planners wanted changes to the plan made first to make it accurate before being sent on to the township board.
Krishnan said she will make the corrections proposed by the commission.
“We will be proud to be certified,” said Director Power. “This is a big step. We can make changes and take it to the board.”
But commissioners wanted to see the final document before sending it on to the board.
Commissioner Medina Atchinson said it could be emailed to commissioners once the changes are made.
Commissioner Jeff Jahr said he had pages of notes and proposed sending written feedback to Krishnan. Then, the commission could see the changes and recommend it to the board at the next commission meeting.
Krishnan said she couldn’t get it done by then because of the July 4 holiday and the schedule of the McKenna employee who does the graphics.
Commission chairman Brian Cullin asked if the board is the last step and Power said it is and when the board approves the plan and it is sent to the state then the township will get certified.
Commissioner Jahr said to get the written changes desired to Krishnan and as soon as the changes are made it can come to the next available meeting. Then the commission can see the final version and vote on it.
Power said no formal motion was needed. He said the next meeting is July 10 and a public hearing on the Sheetz development at Haggerty and Ecorse roads is scheduled.
At the end of the meeting, Commissioner Jahr complimented Krishnan for doing a wonderful job presenting the lengthy plan. Chairman Cullin said he appreciated all her time and effort on the project.
At the beginning of the meeting, Director Power explained the goal of the Economic Development strategy is to identify initiatives and methods that will encourage diversity of the region’s economic base, tap into opportunities for economic expansion, and help to create a sustainable, vibrant community.
The Marketing Plan establishes goals and strategies for how a community should partner locally to build a consistent brand, tell their unique story, and attract new residents, visitors, businesses, and developments, Power said.
He said the plan includes input from a variety of community stakeholders, including comments and feedback from a workshop held June 8, 2023.
After reviewing the naming of the township’s top assets as Belleville Lake, Willow Run Airport, Lower Huron Metropark, and two major freeways, Treasurer Sharry Budd, the board’s liaison to the commission, said she wants to make the wording more prominent for Van Buren Township instead of Belleville.
She was referring to the “Word Cloud” picture that had Belleville in big letters. She also pointed out all the references to the Yankee Air Museum must be changed because that is no longer its name.
Krishnan also noted that the text says the community center was completed in the winter of 2023, but it was completed in the spring of 2024 and that will be changed.
Commissioner Jahr was unhappy with the township logo which was presented in a way it would be pixillated when expanded and there was a better way to present the logo.
Krishnan said there was a suggestion to change the township logo to include airplane wings along with the boat on the lake, but there was no commission support for that.
The mention of executives being targeted to live in the township, specifically referring to the OUR Energy development, brought Commissioner Jackson Pahle to suggest they check the figures mentioned. He obviously referred to the present financial difficulties OUR Energy is encountering.
The Priority Re-Development or Development sites, which included Lakewood Shopping Center and “Ford Land,” brought comment. The 181 acres owned by the township across Tyler Road from township hall, should not be referred to as “Ford,” Jahr suggested. It should just be referred to by the number of acres, like the two other sites called 440 and 390.
“Consistency is a virtue,” Jahr said.
The plan’s call for annual updates was disputed by Jahr who said if they’ve gone astray in the plan, a year’s worth of problem is too much. He suggested quarterly updates.
The updated plan will come back to a future meeting for consideration.