VBT planning commission OKs BYC’s dock plans on 4-1 vote

The ongoing drama of the expanded Belleville Yacht Club docks was ended on June 14, as far as the Van Buren Township Planning Commission goes.
Now, the special approval to operate as a marina goes to the township board and then to the Michigan EGLE (Environment, Great Lakes and Energy), which has authority over the lake, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, because of the dam on the lake.
The planning commission also approved the BYC site plan, which will be reviewed by the EGLE and FERC as well. The BYC must have approval from both bodies before restarting construction to replace two floating docks.
One of the dock arms is already in place at 85.3’ and a stop-work order had been issued by the township on the construction of the second arm because it did not have a permit. The court sent it back to the township and the men’s club to work out a settlement.
The BYC is located at 831 E. Huron River Dr. and was formerly the Moose Lodge before the Moose moved to Sumpter Township’s PNA Hall and eventually disbanded.
During the public comment period on June 14, seven people spoke both for and against the BYC plans.
Commissioner Bernie Grant cast the only no vote on both issues because he wanted more evidence that the dock would not be a safety issue. Also, as an architect, he said architects always give information on what’s next door to a proposed project and the BYC did not note where the residential neighbor’s dock and boathouse were located so it was hard to determine if the docks would interfere with the neighbor’s use of the lake.
Voting yes on the two motions were Commission Chairman Brian Cullin, Township Treasurer Sharry Budd (who sits on the commission), and Commissioners Jeff Jahr and Jackson Pahle. Commissioner Medina Atchinson, whose husband is a member of the BYC, was absent from the meeting. She had announced at a previous meeting that she had intended to vote on the BYC issue, but she never cast a vote.
The BYC first submitted a plan for the docks in late December and the first review by the planning commission was on Jan. 10. At that time, the docks were slated to be 120’ long with two arms out into the lake.
On Jan. 11 there was a public hearing before the commission and the proposed docks were longer than the 40’ allowed by ordinance, so the BYC took it to the Board of Zoning Appeals for an exception. The BZA postponed its Jan. 10 vote and didn’t meet in February. It was on the BZA agenda in March and May. The BYC revised its plan reducing the dock length to just over double the 40’ allowed. On May 9, the BZA granted the 85.3’ length in two arms on a 4-3 vote.
Then on June 14, the commission approved the marina designation and sent the issue on to the township board on a 4-1 vote. The preliminary and final site plans were approved, also 4-1.
In other business at the three-hour-and-35-minute meeting on June 14, the commission:
• Held a public hearing and then approved special land use and preliminary and final site plan for Donyeal Sizemore’s group daycare facility with 12 children at 42127 Salem Ct. The special land use will go before the township board for consideration. Sizemore currently runs a daycare with six children. She has a degree in early childhood development and social work. “I’m grateful to be one of the day cares that Gov. Whitmer invested in” and she said the governor’s office asked her to consider expanding because of the desperate need in the state for quality daycare. Sizemore presented letters from her neighbors in support and seven neighbors spoke at the public hearing in her favor and more later in the meeting. Her husband Rodney, an officer in the Detroit Police Department, said there is a vital need for childcare in Michigan;
• Held a public hearing with no public comment offered on a rezoning request by Cameron Smyth for 16355 Haggerty Rd., to change it from R-1B (Single Family Residential District) to AG (Agriculture and Estates). This was not on the agenda for other action;
• Held a public hearing with no public comment offered for rezoning from M-1 (Light Industrial) to M-2 (General Industrial) a 24.48 parcel on the north side of Van Born Road east of Sheldon Road. The request was by Mark Drane on behalf of property owner Robert Sloan. The commission unanimously approved the rezoning, which will now go to the township board for consideration. Drane said there is no plan as yet on how to use the property;
• Held a public hearing on Detached Single Family Residential Dwelling Height Regulations with no public comment offered. This item was not on the agenda for other action at this meeting; and
• Approved unanimously Subaru Research and Development’s landscaping modification to allow about 1.1 acres of the original plan for the Subaru Research facility at 50255 Michigan Ave. to be converted from turf gass to native plantings that will use little or no irrigation. Ryan Plum, facilities manager at Subaru, said they will be able to stop irrigation to save water and to stop using fertilizer and pesticides. He said Subaru is a Japanese company and every year they are required to send back to home office plans on how they can be better stewards of the environment. Plum said he is under a lot of pressure to make it beautiful. Commissioner Jahr said the township is willing to try this as an experiment and if it doesn’t come together, “It’s got to go back.” The planning staff was directed to report back to the commission on this in about a year.