Ron and Evelyn Frank, patriarch and matriarch of the longest continuously farmed property in Dorr Township, won their first battle to return all of their land to the zoning designation of rural agricultural Tuesday.

Mr. and Mrs. Frank made a presentation to the Dorr Township Planning Commission, with agreed on a 6-0 vote to recommend to the Township Board rezoning all of their 40 acres of property at 1220 142nd Ave. from commercial to agricultural. The Franks acknowledged the request was the first step in an attempt eventually to have a home built on the parcel by their grandson and his wife, Doug and Heather Frank.

The family was told that even if the Township Board concurs Sept. 27, the toughest job ahead will be to secure a variance to accommodate a house because it would take up more than the maximum of two acres. In fact, it is likely to be more than three acres.

Mrs. Frank told the commission their house, located just to the east in Leighton Township at 1161 142nd Ave., was built in 1920 and the land nearby has been farmed since the Civil War. She and her husband have lived there for the past 67 years.

“It’s not commercial, it’s been farmed since it was bought,” she said of the adjacent commercially-zoned parcel. “It’s farmed now with a crop of hay.”

She added that in the past the land was farmed for soybeans, alfalfa and oats.

Planning Commission Chairman Bob Wagner noted that when zoning came into existence in Michigan in 1956, the parcel was zoned commercial.

Mrs. Frank said she understands that and there was no need to ask for all of the land to be zoned agricultural until recently when Doug and Heather expressed interest in building a home on land the family has owned for so long.

“They want to build there, but you can’t build a home on commercial land,” she explained.

Eric Thompson, zoning enforcement administrator from Professional Code Inspections, said, “There is a good deal of agricultural property in that area. There will be some dimensional challenges,” but they could be resolved with a variance.

When asked about this rezoning not fitting in with the township’s master plan, Thompson said, “You are not obligated to adhere strictly to the master plan on a parcel-by-parcel basis. The master plan is essentially a guideline… The main issue here is whether this is an appropriate (zoning) designation for this land.”

Doug Frank told the commission, “I don’t ever intend to change it (the parcel) from farm land.”

The commission’s only hesitation was that the Frank family may face bigger challenges ahead in attempting to build a house on the newly rezoned land.