The Cityside Townhouses at 605 E. Main Ave. could become a site for expansion of the Reckitt/Mead Johnson manufacturing plant just a few hundred feet to the east. Mead Johnson is asking the city of Zeeland to rezone that property and another parcel at 633 E. Main for industrial use. Company officials will present their conceptual plans to the city’s Planning Commission tonight.
By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
After months of rumors circulating in the community on the future direction of the Reckitt/Mead Johnson Nutritionals manufacturing plant on Zeeland’s east side, the company is asking to rezone two parcels of land west of the plant for a potential expansion.
Company representatives will give what city officials are calling “a conceptual overview of their proposed development project” to the city’s Planning Commission tonight at 5:45 p.m. in the main floor banquet room of the Howard Miller Community Center, 14 S. Church St.
“They’re trying to give the big overview, before the rezoning (request is presented),” City Manager Tim Klunder said in an interview with the Zeeland Record last Thursday. “The natural question is always … you want to rezone (the property), what are you going to do (with it)?”
Tonight’s presentation comes one week before the Planning Commission holds a public hearing on whether to recommend approval of rezoning two properties immediately west of the Reckitt/Mead Johnson facility to industrial use.
Mead Johnson & Company, LLC is asking to rezone the parcel at 633 E. Main Ave. from R-2 single-family and two-family residential to I-2 general industrial, and the parcel at 605 E. Main from R-3 two-family and multiple-family residential to I-2 general industrial. The public hearing will be held at 6 p.m. next Thursday in the north activity room of the lower level of the Howard Miller Community Center.
Community Development Director Tim Maday said the idea of presenting a conceptual plan in advance of any rezoning hearings is not unusual.
“We’ve had this with other large, more complex projects, such as Gentex, the West Michigan Community Bank site or Sligh – to give an overview of the entire potential concept. That way it gives our elected and appointed officials a little bit of context as they’re reviewing the individual applications,” Maday said in an interview last Thursday.
The 31-acre plant at 725 E. Main Ave., which produces Enfamil infant formula, has been in existence since 1924. Reckitt acquired the plant from Mead Johnson in 2017.
The 633 E. Main parcel has been a single-family residence for many years. Mead Johnson & Company acquired the 1.48-acre property from previous owners Craig and Lila Meyer on Dec. 30 of last year for $1.5 million, according to county property records.
The 605 E. Main parcel is currently occupied by Cityside Townhouses, two four-unit townhouses that were built in 2016. Mead Johnson purchased the 0.88-acre site from Park Township-based Cityside Townhouses LLC May 15 for $2.95 million, according to city records.
The 633 E. Main site has been identified as eventually being rezoned for industrial use in the city’s master plan as far back as 2011, while the 605 E. Main property has been pegged as remaining residential in the future land use plan, Maday said.
A group of residents who live near the Reckitt/Mead Johnson facility have spoken out at City Council meetings since February objecting to any expansion of the plant, saying it will affect the neighborhood’s property values and quality of life.
At a City Council meeting May 19, Division Street resident Ryan Gamby criticized city officials for not taking a stand against plant expansion. Gamby, who with some of his neighbors have formed the Neighborhood First committee, spoke specifically about the residents of Cityside Townhouses that may lose their place to live.
“Your inaction is an inexcusable disservice to our neighbors … These tenants - these families - had no say in the sale of this property,” Gamby said at that meeting. “They are not walking away with a pile of Mead Johnson cash. Instead, they are left with a stark reality — what do I do now? As city officials, what is your planned messaging to these people? I’m sorry, this was a private property transaction? I’m sorry, we can’t form a firm position on this because we haven’t seen the site plans yet? Does that carry any practical meaning for these tenants?”
City officials have been relatively quiet to this point about any plans by Mead Johnson/Reckitt to expand, other than to issue a press release dated March 24, acknowledging the city and company had been in discussions “regarding Mead Johnson’s potential desire to invest in our community,” but adding that no site plans had been filed.
“Until the city knows the full scope of the plans and their possible impacts - positive or negative - the city cannot issue a firm position for or against potential expansion north of Main on property that is not currently zoned for industrial use,” Klunder said in that press release.
In an interview last Thursday, Klunder said that Mead Johnson began to approach the city about a potential project in July of last year.
In addition to the 633 and 605 E. Main sites, Mead Johnson also acquired the former Bennett Wood Specialties property at 107 N. Carlton St. on Dec. 30, 2024 for $3.7 million. Unlike the two parcels the company is seeking to have rezoned, the Bennett Wood Specialties property is already zoned for industrial use.
Mead Johnson also looked into acquiring the Zeeland Public Schools transportation garage and adjacent fields owned by the district across the street from the plant. However, district officials said they would not sell the property. City officials oppose any expansion of the company south of Main.
In addressing the council in mid-February, Gamby said that Reckitt/Mead Johnson had made inquiries about buying every property north of Main, from Fairview Street to Carlton Street, including Bethel Christian Reformed Church.
Any rezoning of the parcels would have to go through two votes of the Planning Commission to recommend approval, and then would have to get final approval from the City Council before it goes into effect.
Zeeland Record
After months of rumors circulating in the community on the future direction of the Reckitt/Mead Johnson Nutritionals manufacturing plant on Zeeland’s east side, the company is asking to rezone two parcels of land west of the plant for a potential expansion.
Company representatives will give what city officials are calling “a conceptual overview of their proposed development project” to the city’s Planning Commission tonight at 5:45 p.m. in the main floor banquet room of the Howard Miller Community Center, 14 S. Church St.
“They’re trying to give the big overview, before the rezoning (request is presented),” City Manager Tim Klunder said in an interview with the Zeeland Record last Thursday. “The natural question is always … you want to rezone (the property), what are you going to do (with it)?”
Tonight’s presentation comes one week before the Planning Commission holds a public hearing on whether to recommend approval of rezoning two properties immediately west of the Reckitt/Mead Johnson facility to industrial use.
Mead Johnson & Company, LLC is asking to rezone the parcel at 633 E. Main Ave. from R-2 single-family and two-family residential to I-2 general industrial, and the parcel at 605 E. Main from R-3 two-family and multiple-family residential to I-2 general industrial. The public hearing will be held at 6 p.m. next Thursday in the north activity room of the lower level of the Howard Miller Community Center.
Community Development Director Tim Maday said the idea of presenting a conceptual plan in advance of any rezoning hearings is not unusual.
“We’ve had this with other large, more complex projects, such as Gentex, the West Michigan Community Bank site or Sligh – to give an overview of the entire potential concept. That way it gives our elected and appointed officials a little bit of context as they’re reviewing the individual applications,” Maday said in an interview last Thursday.
The 31-acre plant at 725 E. Main Ave., which produces Enfamil infant formula, has been in existence since 1924. Reckitt acquired the plant from Mead Johnson in 2017.
The 633 E. Main parcel has been a single-family residence for many years. Mead Johnson & Company acquired the 1.48-acre property from previous owners Craig and Lila Meyer on Dec. 30 of last year for $1.5 million, according to county property records.
The 605 E. Main parcel is currently occupied by Cityside Townhouses, two four-unit townhouses that were built in 2016. Mead Johnson purchased the 0.88-acre site from Park Township-based Cityside Townhouses LLC May 15 for $2.95 million, according to city records.
The 633 E. Main site has been identified as eventually being rezoned for industrial use in the city’s master plan as far back as 2011, while the 605 E. Main property has been pegged as remaining residential in the future land use plan, Maday said.
A group of residents who live near the Reckitt/Mead Johnson facility have spoken out at City Council meetings since February objecting to any expansion of the plant, saying it will affect the neighborhood’s property values and quality of life.
At a City Council meeting May 19, Division Street resident Ryan Gamby criticized city officials for not taking a stand against plant expansion. Gamby, who with some of his neighbors have formed the Neighborhood First committee, spoke specifically about the residents of Cityside Townhouses that may lose their place to live.
“Your inaction is an inexcusable disservice to our neighbors … These tenants - these families - had no say in the sale of this property,” Gamby said at that meeting. “They are not walking away with a pile of Mead Johnson cash. Instead, they are left with a stark reality — what do I do now? As city officials, what is your planned messaging to these people? I’m sorry, this was a private property transaction? I’m sorry, we can’t form a firm position on this because we haven’t seen the site plans yet? Does that carry any practical meaning for these tenants?”
City officials have been relatively quiet to this point about any plans by Mead Johnson/Reckitt to expand, other than to issue a press release dated March 24, acknowledging the city and company had been in discussions “regarding Mead Johnson’s potential desire to invest in our community,” but adding that no site plans had been filed.
“Until the city knows the full scope of the plans and their possible impacts - positive or negative - the city cannot issue a firm position for or against potential expansion north of Main on property that is not currently zoned for industrial use,” Klunder said in that press release.
In an interview last Thursday, Klunder said that Mead Johnson began to approach the city about a potential project in July of last year.
In addition to the 633 and 605 E. Main sites, Mead Johnson also acquired the former Bennett Wood Specialties property at 107 N. Carlton St. on Dec. 30, 2024 for $3.7 million. Unlike the two parcels the company is seeking to have rezoned, the Bennett Wood Specialties property is already zoned for industrial use.
Mead Johnson also looked into acquiring the Zeeland Public Schools transportation garage and adjacent fields owned by the district across the street from the plant. However, district officials said they would not sell the property. City officials oppose any expansion of the company south of Main.
In addressing the council in mid-February, Gamby said that Reckitt/Mead Johnson had made inquiries about buying every property north of Main, from Fairview Street to Carlton Street, including Bethel Christian Reformed Church.
Any rezoning of the parcels would have to go through two votes of the Planning Commission to recommend approval, and then would have to get final approval from the City Council before it goes into effect.
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