Rezoning proposal sent back to planners for traffic study

The Laketown Township Board of Trustees sent a proposed rezoning of about 51 acres of land back to the planning commission over concerns about traffic safety.

The board addressed proposed Ordinance No. 214 Zoning Map Amendment Ordinance at a special meeting on Dec. 30, 2024. The proposal would change the property owned by Covenant Seven LLC with road frontage on 147^th Avenue and 60^th Street from R-1 Rural Estate and R-2 Low Density Residential to R-3 Medium Density, allowing for the possibility of more housing units. The rezoning was unanimously recommended for approval by the planning commission on Nov. 6 after a public hearing and discussion.

It is unusual for the township board not to approve a zoning change that came from a unanimous planning commission decision.

If the issue is not approved, the township could face legal action, according to township officials.

The township’s zoning map is available here.

Board concerns

The change could mean hundreds more housing units, something that concerned township board members at the special meeting.

Trustee Mike Koeman said R-3 zoning is scary to residents because it could mean apartments and more houses they don’t want to look at.

Developer Peter Engles of Covenant Seven addressed the board, saying there is confusion about the rezoning process. Residents and some board members have requested Engles present development plans including number and types of housing units for the property before it is rezoned, but that is not how the process works, he and township officials said. Plans are presented to the planning commission after a rezoning is approved. At that point, the planning commission can address issues such as traffic safety, water and sewer service, and open space.

This process was used for other rezonings approved by the township board.

At its Dec. 11 meeting, the township board deadlocked in a 2-2 tie on the rezoning, meaning the proposed approval did not pass. The Dec. 30 meeting was another chance for the board to act on the proposal.

The Three Cs

Township attorney Ron Bultje explained the issue in a Dec. 17 email.

He wrote that the planning commission used the “three Cs” to come to its decision – the rezoning is consistent with the master plan, a document that addresses and directs proposed land use and development; compatible with surrounding land uses; and that the available infrastructure such as roads and water are capable of serving the property if it is rezoned and developed.

If the board denies the rezoning request, it must state the specific reasons.

“I suspect that the Board’s denial of the rezoning request would likely be challenged by the property owner,” Bultje wrote in the Dec. 17 email. “I’ve already received a call from the lawyer for the property owner.”

In a letter dated Dec. 16, Covenant Seven’s law firm, Varnum of Grand Rapids, said the board’s earlier decision “is a very serious matter” and that if the township board “does not approve the Rezone at its next meeting in accordance with the Township’s Master Plan and Zoning Ordinance, then Covenant – and this firm on its behalf – will pursue all necessary legal remedies to protect its rights.”

The board voted 3-1 to have the planning commission look at the possibility of road congestion if the property is rezoned. The planning commission will send its findings back to the township board for a decision on the rezoning.

Supervisor Steve Ringelberg, the only one to oppose the motion, called the decision to study traffic “absolutely insane” because planners don’t know how many housing units are going to be proposed. The planning commission meets at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 8., at the township hall, 4338 Beeline Road.