The Battle Creek Planning Commission voted unanimously in favor of recommending to the City Commission that it denies a conditional rezoning application to be able to turn the rolling acres of green space at Riverside Golf Club and Banquet Center on East Columbia Avenue property into an industrial-residential development.
The nearly century-old golf course, dating back to 1926, has been up for sale for about two years and is under a tentative contract with Interstate Capital Investments (ICI), a firm that said it develops mid-sized industrial cities, particularly throughout the Midwest.
ICI's conditional rezoning application proposes development of residential homes and businesses on the south side of the property and "light" industrial use on the north side.
City planning staff worked with the developers in identifying potential hurdles and solutions, which included an initial community engagement meeting in August.
Residents living within a 400 foot radius of Riverside were invited to learn about the plans and provide feedback.
While some residents said they were open to the idea of new development, the majority of people who spoke during the meeting urged against anything industrial coming into the primarily residential community.
Those initial concerns were echoed by dozens of calls and letters sent to Battle Creek City Planning Commission in the weeks following the announcement, according to Planning Administrator Darcy Schmitt. The planning commission said there was also a petition against the industrial development, which came with about 140 signatures.
Schmitt said all of those messages were included in a packet delivered to the entire planning commission ahead of a public hearing on Wednesday. The packet also included a staff note which, Schmitt told News Channel 3, outlined why staff could not make an objective recommendation in favor of rezoning the land for industrial use, saying it conflicted with the city’s Master Plan, which currently envisions the land as open green space.
It was not only residents who guided the staff's unfavorable recommendation, but officials from the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) also responded to the proposal with concern. City leaders said MDOT called attention to several infrastructure issues, such as a bridge and tunnel that splits the property, as well as the need for traffic studies, which would reportedly cost the developer an estimated $80,000 to $500,000.
During Wednesday night's public hearing, dozens of Battle Creek residents took turns addressing the planning commission. Person after person who spoke raised concerns, which included traffic congestion and road safety, air and noise pollution, loss of green space, as well as financial and quality of life impacts for neighbors.
Many also made a case for Battle Creek to utilize already existing industrial zones, such as the nearby 3,000-acre Fort Custer Industrial Park.
The CEO of ICI, Gregory Dilone Jr., also spoke to planning commissioners during the hearing. He highlighted the value of housing and new jobs that the development would expect to bring to the area, and asserted that the location for the proposed industrial complex minimizes view obstructions for nearby condos and houses on the hill, because the top of any buildings would sit at least a dozen yards below those homeowner's vantage point, he said.
A couple of those nearby residents, however, replied to that claim in their own comments, urging commissioners that while homes on the hill may not, homes near Hole 2 would apparently lose their view of the course, and look directly at the proposed industrial site.
Ultimately, the planning commission agreed with the recommendation of city planning staff, citing both the technical conflict with the plan and widespread community opposition.
Read: https://wwmt.com/news/local/riverside...
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