VBT planners recommend change of land use map for 75-acre Smith farm

After a public hearing, the Van Buren Township Planning Commission sent a recommendation to the township board that the future land use map for the 75-acre Harold Smith farm in Denton be changed from low-density single family B zoning to light industrial zoning.
The farm is located at 50015 Michigan Avenue on the south side of Michigan east of Ecorse Road and west of Denton Road.
At the commission’s regular meeting March 14, Ron Akers, director of planning and economic development, said the property is zoned single family and has been planned for single family.
The application is to rezone and that means the future land use map needs to be amended, following the Michigan Planning Zoning Enabling Act.
Since the commission voted to recommend changing the map, it will go before the township board at its April 2 work/study meeting and its April 3 regular meeting.
“If they approve, it would then have to go through the rezoning process,” Akers said.
Akers said they asked the planning consultant to look at sites in the township that could be industrial and consultants looked at the sites, access, utilities, and residential protection and pointed to the Smith farm.
Akers said he recommends a 300-400′ buffer on the western edge of Denton Village be left as green space, on the Smith farm property. He said 300-400′ would be from the western edge to his large barn. Then there would be an additional 60′ buffer, bermed and planted with trees.
Four Denton residents came to the public hearing on the change of the map and two spoke out.
Tim Johnson of Cross Street said he was three doors down and asked if the buffer zone would be put in place no matter what. Akers said it would if the version presented goes through.
He asked about trees and the noise, since Denton residents already get noise from the traffic and the airport. He wanted to make sure trucks would not be using Denton streets to enter the industrial site.
Ben Griffin, the real estate agent on the project, said there is no real site plan at the moment and he is “just playing with it” to see how it could be developed. He said a lot of people have been interested in the property.
Johnson said he has lived in his house for just a few months and he saved money for seven years to buy it.
Another resident of Cross Street, asked what could go in the light industrial zoning, besides factories and warehouses.
Commission chairwoman Carol Thompson said the zoning ordinance has quite a list and they could get that to him.
Akers said it is for manufacturing operations, but not the type that generates a lot of noise and more likely the operations are completely indoors like the development on Schooner Drive. He said the truck traffic would go out to Michigan Avenue and not come through the subdivision.
Akers said there could be laboratories, research and development sites and possibly something tied in with the American Center for Mobility nearby.
When the size of the facility was questioned, Akers said it could be half the size of the Costco warehouse on Belleville Road.
The resident said the prevailing wind is from the west and chemicals could be in the wind and noise.
Akers said the township has a noise ordinance when at 8 or 9 p.m. the noise must reduce to 45-50 decibels and the zoning ordinance has performance standards.
Akers said the township hasn’t received any specific proposal for the specific type of business.
Griffin said after the rezoning is finished in June or July things should start moving.
The resident said the neighbors are not against Smith selling his farm and doing what he wants to do, but they are concerned about what effect this would have on their quality of life. They have a quiet neighborhood with dirt streets.
Chairwoman Thompson said it would be helpful if the neighbors kept coming to the meetings as the plans progress so they could give their input.
Thompson said Cross is a dirt road and she wouldn’t think you could get a semi in there.
“I don’t see any scenario where they would come through Denton Village,” Akers said, adding they would have to come in to connect to water and sewer there.
“I live on Denton Road and have known Harold for 20 years,” Thompson said. “I would like Mr. Smith to do what he wants to do. His family has been farming there 175 years.
“It would be nice if the whole village would pull together to make sure the township makes the development the best it can be.”
The four Denton residents left the meeting before the vote was taken to recommend the change to the land use map.
After the vote Thompson said to Griffin, “The 99 residences of Denton Village expect you to bring something beautiful.”
“It’s a great location,” Griffin said, noting they would get something good.
In other business at the 52-minute meeting, the commission:
• Held a public hearing on a zoning ordinance amendment on detached accessory building regulations and then voted to recommend the amendments to the township board. Akers said the changes deal with setbacks, the approval process, deleting the need for ratwalls and concrete floors for accessory buildings in an Agricultural zoning, and other changes. Thompson said they were housekeeping issues mainly based on changes in the law;
• Approved temporary land use for the seventh season of Phantom Fireworks selling from a location in the parking lot of Lakewood Shopping Center near Kmart. They will be there June 22 through July 4; and
• Briefly discussed the proposed Ashley Capital warehouse development. Akers said in February he reached out to them and they didn’t want to come back to the planning commission until they heard from the county on the traffic issue. They were preparing a resubmittal to the county, Akers said. He said the township reviewed their traffic study and determined a traffic light at the third driveway doesn’t appear to be needed now. He said Ashley could put funds in escrow if it determined to be needed in the future.