Representatives from the proposed Sustainable Business Park revisited the Dorr Township Board and urged adoption on a resolution to grant extension of water and sewer into Dorr from Byron Township.
If the Township Board agrees, it will be the first step in providing utilities for the proposed business park on 250 acres in the northeast section of the township.
Consultant Rick Chapla, attorney Matt Zimmerman and Ryan Mausch of Fishbeck were on hand to outline further plans and answer questions.
Chapla said the Kent County Department of Public Works is prepared to recommend the anchor tenant for the state-of-the-art recycling facility that promises to handle about 90 percent of the waste that otherwise would go into a landfill. He did not disclose the tenant, but said prospects are good for naming it and moving forward on “getting out of the landfill business and moving toward recovering separating materials.”
The park is the result of visioning and planning in the wake of news the Kent County landfill is nearing capacity and soon will close. Kent County already owns the parcel in Dorr Township for the forward-looking project.
Zimmerman said the parcel will be served by the Wyoming water and sewer system that will run through Byron Township.
The project calls for a contribution of $200,000 from Dorr Township, $500,000 from Allegan County and $300,000 from Byron Township. The “presumptive option for Dorr is to let Byron Township handle the nuts and bolts of providing utilities, thereby saving on costs and labor.
Chapla said he hopes to have the process to establish a Planned Unit Development zoning approval by the end of the year.
Township Supervisor Jeff Miling indicated he is on board with the project enthusiastically, saying, “Investing $200,000 of our anticipated ARPA (American Rescue Plan) federal funding could make up a huge source income for the township,” not to mention the positive impact on the environment.
