Morton Township Residents
for Responsible Development
Morton Township Board of Trustees Denies the Bollman/Freshwater Conditional Rezoning Request!
Thank you to the entire Morton Township Board of Trustees for denying the RV Mark Park conditional rezoning request! The board of trustees voted 4-0 at their annual meeting on June 11th to deny the Bollman/Freshwater Consulting application for conditional rezoning of the 44 acre parcel on 105th and St. Ives. While the fight may not be over yet, depending on the developer's next action, we are encouraged that the process of citizen input was successful with both the Planning Commission and the Board of Trustees.
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Our next focus will be the Township's Master Plan, which is currently being revised. The process of creating a new master plan will take several months and MTRFRD plans to stay involved in the process every step of the way. A solid master plan will be vital to preserving the essential character of our community and its natural resources, while still providing for appropriate and responsible development.
Board of Trustees Meeting TUES JUNE 11th 5:30 Mecosta Elementary School
Following the PC's UNANIMOUS decision to recommend DENIAL of the Bollman/Freshwater RV Park conditional rezoning application, the Board of Trustees will consider the developer's conditional rezoning request on Tues. June 11th at 5:30 PM at Mecosta Elementary School. We need EVERYONE to show up at this meeting; even more than the nearly 300 who attended the May 15th public hearing. The board may make a decision at this meeting, so please plan to attend and participate during the public comment time if you can. EVEN IF YOU ALREADY COMMUNICATED YOUR OPPOSITION TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION, PLEASE DO SO AGAIN ASAP TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES. ONLY ONE OF THE BOARD MEMBERS IS ON THE PLANNING COMMISSION (MR. RATLEDGE), SO IT IS LIKELY THAT THE FULL BOARD HAS NOT SEEN YOUR OPPOSITION COMMUNICATION. Letters should be mailed or dropped off to the township hall this week if possible. Emails should be sent this week to:
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IMPORTANT: Make sure to put "To the Entire Morton Township Board of Trustees" in both your subject line (emails) and salutation line (emails and letters). Specifically address the "RV PARK" in your communication so that the clerk knows to share the contents of your letter/email with the full board.
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FRONT PAGE of Big Rapids Pioneer
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Opposition to the proposed RV Mega Park made the front page of the Big Rapids Pioneer on May 21st.
Link to full article is below this notice. The Pioneer reporter didn't include the name of the "concerned citizen" who opposed a zoning issue in 2019. Ironically, that citizen was none other than Pat Bollman. Excerpt from the article:
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"Resident Sandy Brogan reminded the planners that in 2019 a request for a special land use permit for a brew pub on property zoned AG was already approved by the planning commission when one resident spoke out in opposition to the project during the public hearing.
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“The review was made in front of a largely supportive audience, however, there was opposition to the plan from one citizen who stated that the nature of the brew pub was, ‘inconsistent with the character of the surrounding community and the increased traffic, noise and light would disrupt the lives of the people that live there.' The concerned citizen went on to say that we have hundreds of acres of undeveloped property and ‘to plunk this thing in the middle of a residential area is a terrible idea.’"
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Yard Signs Available!
Contact us if you still need a yard sign.
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If you place a yard sign by your road, please make sure to do the following:
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Sign cannot be placed in the road right of way, so no closer than 33 ft from the center of the road
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Please mark your sign with the date placed in your yard. We suggest using a dry erase marker so that it can be changed later.
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Signs may only be displayed in the yard for 2 weeks at a time. Please pull them after two weeks, leave off the yard for a day, then put them out again for another 2 weeks with a new date written on them.
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The township has the right to confiscate any sign not legally placed.
