The meetup in a nutshell, by Jim Nelson.

The Dreff family has paid Highway Commercial zone taxes on their Whitmore Lake Road property for thirty years. Last week they found out it had been rezoned AR in 1992.  In AR zoning, they can't even put a house on the less than five acres they've got.  Planner Paul Lippens is now on the case.

TerraFirmas Pet Pipeline 115ftwide easement 12 ft deep 814w617h
TerraFirma's Pet Pipeline.  This section is 12 feet below grade. Where it passes beneath US-23 (behind the viewer) it drops to 30 feet deep.
 
The owners of TerraFirma found out that Consumers Power plans biannual inspection excavations of the 115 foot wide easement which bisects TerraFirma's Whitmore Lake Road property. According to Consumers' contractors, the pipe must be inspected but only a single 30 foot length of pipe may be replaced each time. (wtf?) The portion underneath US-23 is buried 30 feet deep to avoid frost. This year's excavation left a 120 foot wide path of destruction the length of Terrafirma's property, from Whitmore Lake Road to US-23.  (Whitmore Lake Road is behind the fence in the above photograph.) TerraFirma says asphalt and geogrid are too expensive to replace biannually. They want to use gravel for the parking area encumbered and undermined by the easement.  Commissioner Zarzecki says that excavations of this extent and depth take five years to settle.  Winter is on its way and TerraFirma requested that an expedited variance be made to happen, so that their proposed plan may move forward.  There was vigorous discussion of TerraFirma's options.  PC Chair Roman dug in his heels, insisting on adhering to the llines of responsibility determined by Statute and practice.  Planner Paul Lippens is on the job, escorting this case through the next necessary step, an appeal to the ZBA ..
 
Kishan Sutariya's Kheti LLC pitched a marijuana grow-op of great sophistication to be sited on a 127 acre hunk of land just east of the long mythologized Meijers site. In an almost allegorical departure from the habits of most developers, their proposed five+ site industrial park respects the wetlands areas which comprise a majority portion of the 127 acres Kheti owns or has optioned.  Planner Lippens noted that this is the only applicant for medical and recreational growing facility licenses. 
 
As with all prior marijuana business license applications, the can was kicked to the Township Board, recommending approval of the conditional use and tabling consideration of the applicant's site plan until after, if ever, the Township Board acts to formally approve the Conditional Use.
 
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 Kheti's Proposed North Territorial Road Industrial Park.   More slides from Kheti's presentation are below.
 
This meeting video has an index of timestamps in its VideoNorthfield description.  Clicking the timestamps teleports you, figuratively, to various points in the video.
 

The link ----->   https://youtu.be/BlsZBJg_ogo

Listing of the time stamps:  This is not a LiveAgenda.  

0:00 
00:14 1. CALL TO ORDER
2. ROLL CALL
3. ADOPTION OF AGENDA
00:58 4. CALL TO THE PUBLIC [None]
03:05 5. CLARIFICATIONS FROM COMMISSION [None]
03:11 6. CORRESPONDENCE:
A. Michigan Pure Green: Future Development Agreement

03:20 7. PUBLIC HEARINGS:
04:05 A. Case #JPC200014 : Kheti, LLC Conditional Use
05:10 Planner's introduction to Kheti's application
08:56 Applicant's presentation
09:43 Aerial view of 127 acre site
15:08 Public comments
16:54 Motion by Iaquinto to close the public hearing

17:12 B. Case #JPC200012 : Shirley Dreffs rezoning
18:00 Planner's introduction to the issue
21:30 Applicant's presentation
23:46 Planner and applicant make cellphone contact
27:42 Public comments
28:52 Iaquinto: motion to close the public hearing

29:10 8. REPORTS OF COMMITTEES
A. Board of Trustees Chick is absent
B. ZBA will meet 9/21
C. Staff
30:38 D. Planning Consultant
32:23 E. Parks and Recreation
F. Downtown Planning Group

9. UNFINISHED BUSINESS:

32:40 A. Case #JPC190009 : TerraFirma
33:45 Planner's review
38:00 OHM Engineer Marcus McNamara's review
40:45 Applicant's presentation
49:50 Commissioners' comments and questions
54:36 Photo of the Consumers Power pipe inspection excavation
1:25:28 Motion to table by Iaquinto 5:1 in favor, Cousino No

1:27:30 B. Case #JPC200001 : Peoples Express
1:28:10 Planner's review
1:31:54 OHM Engineer Marcus McNamara's review
1:33:10 Applicant's presentation
1:35:10 Commissioners' comments and questions
1:35:30 Motion to Approve by Iaquinto Passes unanimously

10. NEW BUSINESS:

1:37:30 A. Case #JPC200014 : Kheti, LLC Conditional Use
1:38:17 Planner's review
1:42:33 Applicant's followup
1:43:58 Commissioners' comments 5 recreational grow permits, 2 medicinal grow permits, 2 processing permits
1:49:44 Motion to Approve by Roman passes 6:0

1:50:42 B. Case #JPC200014 : Kheti, LLC Site Plan approval
1:51:53 Motion by Chair to table passes 6:0

1:53:30 C. Case #JPC200012 : Shirley Dreffs rezoning
1:54:00 Planner's review and recommendation to deny
2:06:48 Motion by Chair to table passes 6:0

2:07:30 11. APPROVAL OF PRECEDING MINUTES: 8/26/2020 and 9/2/2020 meetings
2:07:56 12. FINAL CALL TO THE PUBLIC
2:08:37 13. COMMENTS FROM THE COMMISSIONERS
14. ANNOUNCEMENT: Next Regular Meeting – October 7, 2020
2:12:15 15. ADJOURNMENT

 

 

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