Prospects look good for Dorr Township to welcome a 204-unit apartment complex on the southwest end of the intersection of 142nd Avenue and 14th Street.

The Dorr Township Planning Commission Tuesday evening recommended to the Township Board approval of a rezoning request for 500 feet of a 34-acre parcel from e-commercial to B-2 residential. Planners also approved a site plan with certain conditions, including project completion assurance through a $500,000 surety bond.

It is hoped the Township Board will take up the request at its meeting Thursday night.

Dan VanKalker and Kendall Beck of Fleis & Vandenbrink firm explainedplans for developer Wendell Beard, along with Lori Castello of Professional Code Inspections. They said the project will include one 36-unit complex and the remainder all for 24 apartments each, appropriate parking pace, two entry and exit points on 142nd Avenue and 14th Street, proper avoidance of wetlands and a community center.

One community resident at the public hearing said he is concerned about bringing in children and teen-agers and asked if the Wayland Union school system could handle the influx of new students.

Schools Supt. Norm Taylor said that with recent passage of the bond project, he believes the schools can absorb the increase in student population.

Identifying himself only as Rex, he said because many of the kids will want to use nearby Bysterveld Park, “The last thing I want to do is police that six acres.”

The developer seeks rezoning of the 500-foot area to make the entire parcel B-2. Somehow, the small portion on the northwest corner was still commercial, and project engineers want to move apartments into that area rather than to the south, where there would be encroachment on wetlands.

VanKolker and Beck promised the neighboring Maynards a buffer between the apartments and their farm immediately to the west.

But Rex countered, “I don’t need 300 more people as neighbor.”

Another huge concern was traffic. The number of vehicles traveling weekday mornings and afternoon on 142nd Avenue is exploding, causing Commission Chairman Bob Wagner to agree a traffic light or at least a four-way stop would be appropriate.

Castello said concerns about wetlands will be handled by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and there doesn’t appear to be any reduction in wetland areas as a result of the project.

Commissioner Terri Rios, also a trustee on the Township Board, voted against approving the site plan and the rezoning because she felt the decisions were too hasty.

“We were just handed this tonight,” she complained. “It’s difficult to make a decision in just an hour.”

Castello said much of the information actually was submitted at township hall on Jan. 30, adding, “I think it’s worthwhile to dig into this together while the petitioners are here so you can ask them questions.”

Rios read an e-mail from Mitch and Township Clerk Deb Sewers, neighbors, who opposed the project because they hunt on their neighboring land and would not want problems with an influx of children and teen-agers.

Rios insisted, “I think we should wait to give us more time to look this over.”

But Commissioner Larry Dolegowski said, “I feel comfortable with this. Lori did a good job of (researching and) explaining it… We don’t have anything like this in Dorr Township. This could take off and I think it will.”

Commission Vice Chairman Robert Traxler said, “I think it fulfills a (housing) need in the community.”

At first, Commissioner Dan Beute was hesitant to approve the site plan, saying, “This is going to have a lot of impact on our community.I may need more time to look this over.”

But Castello informed the commission it could insist on a surety bond to give developers incentive to meet conditions, such as roads, dumpster enclosures, fire protections and parking. She added that the site plan also depends on the Township Board Thursday night approving the rezoning.

Van Kolker said, “We’re trying to get conditional approval so we can begin the permitting process.”

Castello, who recommended approval, said many of the conditions could be met through an administrative process.

Beck said, “We have all of the requirements at this stage of the process. We’re asking for approval of the concept.”

The votes for site plan approval and recommending rezoning were 6-1 with Rios both times dissenting.