Clark Galloway, co-developer of a controversial proposed airstrip near the corner of Kalamazoo and 144th Avenues, told the Leighton Township Board Thursday night that all but one lawsuit filed against him and the township have been dismissed in Allegan County Circuit Court.
Neighbors of the airstrip two years ago filed suits seeking an injunction against continued use of the airstrip by airplanes and against trespassing when flying lower than 50 feet above the ground. Both were dismissed Thursday, Galloway said.
The only court action that still needs to be decided is a nuisance complaint involving the aircraft.
The airstrip was used for many years by Bill and Rita Martin, but not so much in recent years. Galloway and Leighton Township Supervisor Steve Deer have been partners in attempts to develop the parcel into an airstrip with four homes and as many as seven planes. The original proposal was much more ambitious and expansive, but it has been pared back over the two years since it was introduced.
Though Deer is a partner in the project, he has recused himself from any Township Board deliberations to avoid conflict of interest.
The real test appears to be 87 days away, Galloway said, on Aug. 7, when voters will go to the polls to decide the issue in a referendum on the primary election ballot.
“I’m getting a lot of positive feedback on this,” he told the Township Board.
