By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
The next round of proposed rezonings for the Reckitt/Mead Johnson Nutrition modernization project on Zeeland’s east side comes up for a second and final vote from the city’s Planning Commission tonight.
Commissioners are expected to approve resolutions recommending the City Council approve rezoning the properties at 515, 549 and 553 E. Main Ave. to I-2 industrial use. This follows recent city approval of rezoning the parcels at 605 and 633 E. Main.
Tonight’s meeting is scheduled to begin at 5:45 p.m. in the council chambers of City Hall, 21 S. Elm St. However, the discussion on the resolution is likely to take place after 6:15 p.m. because commissioners are expected to take a bus tour at the start of the meeting as a kickoff to their update to the city’s capital improvement project list, Community Development Director Tim Maday said.
Following a public hearing on Sept. 23, commissioners took the first step toward recommending approval of the rezoning request from Reckitt/Mead Johnson. They voted 7-0 in favor of rezoning the parcels at 549 and 553 E. Main, which are currently single-family residences. The rezoning of the 515 E. Main parcel, which is currently occupied by Bethel Christian Reformed Church and the church’s parsonage, passed on a 6-1 vote, with Commissioner Rebecca Perkins voting no.
“This request is part of a broader modernization effort – not an expansion of intensity, but a thoughtful reconfiguration of our existing footprint to meet (the company’s) evolving regulatory needs and operational needs,” Mead Johnson engineering manager Aaron Holder told commissioners.
“Our goal is simple – to ensure that Mead Johnson can continue serving our customers as a stable, longstanding manufacturer of high-quality, and in some cases, life-saving infant formula, right here in Zeeland, Michigan. We also desire to remain a strong and committed community partner in Zeeland for generations to come.”
Mead Johnson is investing $836 million into the facility at 725 E. Main Ave., where it has produced infant formula since 1924.
As with previous rezoning requests, neighboring residents spoke out in opposition. Sue VandenBeldt, who lives on North Division Street, called on commissioners to direct Mead Johnson to submit studies on pollution, traffic and landscaping to the city.
“You have a second chance to get this right. It’s imperative that important questions be asked, and answers must be given,” VandenBeldt said.
VandenBeldt also called for no more approval of waivers for the company, citing past actions where commissioners granted a landscaping waiver that allowed for construction of a parking lot and a waiver of a traffic study.
“When you get to the site plan reviews, demand extra landscaping and buffers. And please, no more waivers. The east-end neighborhood deserves this,” she said. “Most of you will vote for this, but many of you will never follow up.
You vote yes, I never hear any questions asked, you go home, you never monitor what’s truly going on after you make a decision that affects our neighborhood … Remember, you represent residents, not just industry.”
Thomas Humbert, who lives across the street from the three properties proposed for rezoning, said the proposed rezoning “directly contradicts” the city’s master plan.
“(This rezoning) means tearing down three well-maintained family homes. It means demolishing a church, removing its playground, wiping out community gardens, and eliminating a seasonal ice rink, one of the few off-season attractions provided to the community,” Humbert said. “In one decision, Zeeland would not only lose housing stock it says it needs more of — it would erase community institutions and amenities that make this corridor livable and connected.”
City planning consultant Paul LeBlanc recommended approval of the rezoning, noting that the vast majority of the block surrounding the three properties is zoned industrial.
“The request is consistent with the 2011 master plan which identifies this location and this block as having conflicting and incompatible land uses due to the residential uses in the midst of a predominant industrial area,” LeBlanc wrote in a memo to commissioners. “The request is (also) consistent with both the 2011 master plan and 2020 amendment which stress the importance of industrial growth in the city.”
Before the final motion on the Bethel CRC property was approved, Perkins proposed retaining one acre of the property as public facilities for a possible greenspace or park. She moved to table the rezoning until tonight.
“I’m not ready to just say yes without some kind of conditions,” Perkins said.
However, that motion failed on a 5-2 vote, with only Commissioner Dan Klompmaker joining Perkins in support.
Bethel CRC sold the 2.36-acre property at 515 E. Main to Mead Johnson June 30 for $3.3 million, according to county property records.
Mead Johnson acquired the 549 E. Main property on April 25 from Kyle and Camaal Murray for $600,000, according to county property records.
Mead Johnson purchased the 553 E. Main property on July 31 from the Earl and Margie Klein Trust for $650,000, according to county property records.
Zeeland Record
The next round of proposed rezonings for the Reckitt/Mead Johnson Nutrition modernization project on Zeeland’s east side comes up for a second and final vote from the city’s Planning Commission tonight.
Commissioners are expected to approve resolutions recommending the City Council approve rezoning the properties at 515, 549 and 553 E. Main Ave. to I-2 industrial use. This follows recent city approval of rezoning the parcels at 605 and 633 E. Main.
Tonight’s meeting is scheduled to begin at 5:45 p.m. in the council chambers of City Hall, 21 S. Elm St. However, the discussion on the resolution is likely to take place after 6:15 p.m. because commissioners are expected to take a bus tour at the start of the meeting as a kickoff to their update to the city’s capital improvement project list, Community Development Director Tim Maday said.
Following a public hearing on Sept. 23, commissioners took the first step toward recommending approval of the rezoning request from Reckitt/Mead Johnson. They voted 7-0 in favor of rezoning the parcels at 549 and 553 E. Main, which are currently single-family residences. The rezoning of the 515 E. Main parcel, which is currently occupied by Bethel Christian Reformed Church and the church’s parsonage, passed on a 6-1 vote, with Commissioner Rebecca Perkins voting no.
“This request is part of a broader modernization effort – not an expansion of intensity, but a thoughtful reconfiguration of our existing footprint to meet (the company’s) evolving regulatory needs and operational needs,” Mead Johnson engineering manager Aaron Holder told commissioners.
“Our goal is simple – to ensure that Mead Johnson can continue serving our customers as a stable, longstanding manufacturer of high-quality, and in some cases, life-saving infant formula, right here in Zeeland, Michigan. We also desire to remain a strong and committed community partner in Zeeland for generations to come.”
Mead Johnson is investing $836 million into the facility at 725 E. Main Ave., where it has produced infant formula since 1924.
As with previous rezoning requests, neighboring residents spoke out in opposition. Sue VandenBeldt, who lives on North Division Street, called on commissioners to direct Mead Johnson to submit studies on pollution, traffic and landscaping to the city.
“You have a second chance to get this right. It’s imperative that important questions be asked, and answers must be given,” VandenBeldt said.
VandenBeldt also called for no more approval of waivers for the company, citing past actions where commissioners granted a landscaping waiver that allowed for construction of a parking lot and a waiver of a traffic study.
“When you get to the site plan reviews, demand extra landscaping and buffers. And please, no more waivers. The east-end neighborhood deserves this,” she said. “Most of you will vote for this, but many of you will never follow up.
You vote yes, I never hear any questions asked, you go home, you never monitor what’s truly going on after you make a decision that affects our neighborhood … Remember, you represent residents, not just industry.”
Thomas Humbert, who lives across the street from the three properties proposed for rezoning, said the proposed rezoning “directly contradicts” the city’s master plan.
“(This rezoning) means tearing down three well-maintained family homes. It means demolishing a church, removing its playground, wiping out community gardens, and eliminating a seasonal ice rink, one of the few off-season attractions provided to the community,” Humbert said. “In one decision, Zeeland would not only lose housing stock it says it needs more of — it would erase community institutions and amenities that make this corridor livable and connected.”
City planning consultant Paul LeBlanc recommended approval of the rezoning, noting that the vast majority of the block surrounding the three properties is zoned industrial.
“The request is consistent with the 2011 master plan which identifies this location and this block as having conflicting and incompatible land uses due to the residential uses in the midst of a predominant industrial area,” LeBlanc wrote in a memo to commissioners. “The request is (also) consistent with both the 2011 master plan and 2020 amendment which stress the importance of industrial growth in the city.”
Before the final motion on the Bethel CRC property was approved, Perkins proposed retaining one acre of the property as public facilities for a possible greenspace or park. She moved to table the rezoning until tonight.
“I’m not ready to just say yes without some kind of conditions,” Perkins said.
However, that motion failed on a 5-2 vote, with only Commissioner Dan Klompmaker joining Perkins in support.
Bethel CRC sold the 2.36-acre property at 515 E. Main to Mead Johnson June 30 for $3.3 million, according to county property records.
Mead Johnson acquired the 549 E. Main property on April 25 from Kyle and Camaal Murray for $600,000, according to county property records.
Mead Johnson purchased the 553 E. Main property on July 31 from the Earl and Margie Klein Trust for $650,000, according to county property records.
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