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At this meeting, PC Chairman Ken Dignan called for the creation of a Farmland Preservation Committee.  His proposal was welcomed by Commissioners Marlene Chockley and Janet Chick as well as members of the public who have been promoting this idea for several years.

Dignan suggested the committee would have to “take a look at PDR/TDR  in surrounding communities a how it’s worked and how it can work in cooperation with more regional authorities such as the (Ann Arbor) Greenbelt.

PDR/TDR is short for Purchase of Development Rights/Transfer of Development Rights, where a farmer can sell off or transfer his/her rights to develop the property for a period of time, usually 50 years, in exchange for a cash payment.  The farmer still owns the land.

More than $10 million has been paid to Washtenaw County farmers through the Greenbelt since Ann Arbor residents first voted to tax themselves for farmland preservation in November, 2003.

Ann Arbor residents tax themselves $2 million per year, and in the first 10 years of the Greenbelt, more than 4,000 acres were preserved in Washtenaw County.

The money raised by the Greenbelt as well as county, state and federal funds are available to communities that have their own preservation funds.

Since money would be needed to pay for the planning consultant to help create the new committee, Township Manager Howard Fink suggested the PC bring a proposal to the Board of Trustees for approval and funding.

Dignan also asked the community to share with the PC any ideas, resources or information that might be helpful.  “I know there are members of our community that have done a lot of work in this area; that have relationships that could benefit a committee like this,” he said.

Dignan said he would meet with the planner to outline the next steps needed in order for the PC to refine it’s plan to deliver to the Board.

You can watch and read the discussion with this: 8-17-2016 Northfield Township Planning Commission discussion of Agenda Item 10-D LiveTranscript

The rest of the meeting:

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Adoption of the Agenda stumbled over Commissioner Larry Roman's misgivings about considering Item 10-A, the discussion of the conditional use approval granted last year to Gyoa Leasing, which occupies the old Carter Lumber site on Territorial Road.  He said the Commission should have been better informed by documentation of the case in the meeting packet.  The packet contained only the minutes of the July 15, 2015 meeting where the Conditional Use was considered.  Roman also said that the issue was a matter of Staff enforcement.  Chairman Dignan countered by saying that with the power to grant conditional use came the power to rescind conditional use.  

Roman agreed to rescind his motion if Commissioners agreed not to make a decision at this meeting.  Consideration of Agenda Item 10-A went forward.   Ryan Steele, the owner of Gyoa, was represented by Todd Pascoe, PE, of Atwell.  

Below are the related documents included in the 7/15/2015 packet:

Also on the August 17th Agenda:

Item 10-B: A discussion about the Enterprise Service District Zoning rules.

Item 10-C: A discussion about the rules preventing the Ann Arbor Dog Training Club from adding a kennel facility at its Territorial Road location.

"Pepper's Puppy Playtime," two minutes inside the Ann Arbor Dog Training Club

 

 

At this meeting the ZBA considered the question of whether a Washtenaw County GIS map provided information that was as accurate and useable as that provided by a staked survey.  The matter was brought before the Board by a Mr. Wallace.  He hoped to obtain a variance without spending an estimated $3,000 for a survey.

The Board's answer was no.

 

 

 

At this meeting we learned:

  1. An easement issue has temporarily derailed the Van Curler acquisition.
  2. The Board was reminded by Wayne Docket that the Main Street sidewalk project will cost double the initial estimates of $80,000.   The Washtenaw County Road Commission (WCRC) has notified the Township that we will be paying in perpetuity for the costs of maintenance and repairs of the sidewalks, crosswalks, and warning beacons.  They will also bill us for the costs of metering and electricity for the two $11,000 solar powered, crosswalk warning beacons.
  3. The $10,000 2017 People's Express Contract was approved over the objections of Trustee Dockett, who said there must be a cheaper way to provide the rides, and Supervisor Engstrom, who did not explain her objection.  Board members Janet Chick and Jacki Otto strongly supported the service.  Braun said she had never seen more than one passenger being carried by a People's Express bus but voted in favor of the contract anyway.
  4. The Board approved a $2500 Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for the Van Curler property.   Jack Secrist presented the vague notion on behalf of the new Downtown Development authority.   Only Trustee Dockett objected to spending this money, one quarter of the annual budget for People's Express.  He said that the cost-accounting should already have been in place.  The Board promised to start that right after the Ribbon cutting party.
  5. At Call to the Public, a Whitmore Lake business owner who spoke his name into a dead microphone, said that he and several other downtown business owners objected to the Township's allocation of Barker Road public parking spaces to the restaurant which may replace the old Driftwood Marina.  He seemed to view this as preferential treatment for a competitor.  He also mentioned having been forced by the Township to pay $2,000 for drawings to allow the enclosure of a porch.
  6. Trustee Dockett hinted at a costly problem consequent to the Whitmore Lake SAD build, something discussed in this evening's Closed session.  He provided no details.

 

 

 

Biltmore's May, 2014 request for a Master Plan amendment was considered and discussed at this Public Hearing. Biltmore CEO David Stollman presented his case. The public presented their opinion. The Planning Consultant presented his report.

At approximately 8:42 pm, Commissioner Stanalajczo read the following resolution:  As he read, Township Attorney Paul Burns watched closely.

"Whereas the Planning Commission of Northfield Township, a Michigan General Law Township, is a public body organized to provide essential government services, and whereas the Planning Commission is vested with the right, duty, and responsibility to initiate the process of creating a Master Plan and amendments thereto by the Michigan Planning Enabling Act, being MCL 125.3801, and whereas in May, 2014, Biltmore Land LLC applied to the Township for an amendment to the Northfield Master Plan Map, changing the future land use designation for nine parcels from Ag (AG) to MDR, Medium Density Residential, and whereas the Northfield Township Engineer prepared a letter regarding the impact of the proposed amendment on the Township's ability to provide sanitary sewer service, dated June 3, 2016, which the Planning Commission finds is correct and accurate and incorporates by this reference, and, whereas the Northfield Township Planner prepared a report analyzing the impacts of the proposed amendment on the Township, dated June 3rd, 2016, which the Planning Commission finds correct and accurate and incorporates by this reference, and whereas the Northfield Township Planning Commission has therefor determined that the amendment requested by the applicant does not best serve the health, safety, and general welfare of the Township, now therefor the Planning Commission of Northfield Township does hereby resolve that the applicant's request for an amendment of the Northfield Township Master Plan map is hereby denied for the reasons set forth above."

Discussion followed.  At approximately 8:56 pm, all seven Commissioners voted in favor of the resolution.  Biltmore's request had been denied.  PC Chairperson Ken Dignan asked that Mr. Stollman consider developing inside the Whitmore Lake School District.

At Final Call to the Public, Joanne Marttila Pierson suggested that the Planning Commission owed Mr. Stollman an apology for making him wait so long for an answer.

Meeting Documents and video

 

 

9Parcels 

 

 

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Approximately 8:40 pm, Tuesday July 26, 2016 at the Northfield Township Board of Trustees meeting:

Township Trustee Wayne Dockett: "Howard Fink has moved out of the Township.  He could not stand the tax base here.  So, I'd just like to let everybody know."

Township Manager Howard Fink: "What was that last comment?"

Dockett: "Howard Fink has moved out of the Township.  He could not stand the tax base."

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Fink: "That is totally disrespectful, Wayne.  You have been out of order all night and now you are rude and insulting."

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Dockett: "Well it was rude for you to move out and not tell us, Howard."

Fink: "I move... I still live in Whitmore Lake.  I live on the Green Oak side of Whitmore Lake."

Dockett: "Well, that's not Northfield Township"

Fink: "That's absolutely right and it has nothing to do with Northfield..."

Dockett: "He's not in Northfield Township.  I would have thought he would have let us know."

RedHerring 965w133h

 

 

 

  1. July 26, 2016 Northfield Township Board of Trustees workshop
  2. July 12, 2016 Northfield Township Board of Trustees
  3. July 6, 2016 Northfield Township Planning Commission
  4. June 28, 2016 Northfield Township Board of Trustees
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