by Joseph Schultz
A crowd of residents showed up at Thursday night’s Yankee Springs Township Planning Commission meeting to learn more about a request from Shashin Kothawala to rezone his property from rural residential to C-3 commercial.
Kothawala said he wanted to build a private storage facility on the property, which is not allowed on land that is zoned R-R, prompting the rezoning request.
Zoning Administrator Joe Shea told the commission the township had received 15 emails and numerous phone calls about the rezoning request. Shea made it clear that the request being discussed did not involve access to Edwin Drive, but only whether a commercial property could be built on the site.
In 2024, Bay Meadow Condominiums sold the land with the agreement with the Township Board that it would be used for residential purposes, not for commercial. Rezoning the property to C-3, according to Shea, would also be inconsistent with the master plan, as well as the future land use map.
A C-3 zoning decision would also allow gas stations, restaurants, car dealerships, and a host of other commercial ventures to be built on the site. Shea stated that given that there is vacant land currently zoned for commercial use, the demand is not there for additional commercial use.
A number of residents stated the reasons they were opposed to the change. Some cited the promise that was made that the land would not be used for commercial purposes. Others told the commission that it was “inappropriate” for a commercial property to be surrounded by residential areas.
Many of those who spoke warned the commission that the C-3 designation opened the land up to be developed in ways the commission would not allow otherwise.
Commission Chairperson Shana Bush said she was also troubled that the lots in question bordered residential areas.
Attorney Blake Crocker, who was representing Kothawala, asked the commission to adjourn the hearing to give them time to respond to all the concerns that were brought up. The commission denied the request.
Instead, a motion to deny the rezoning request was made. Before voting in favor of the motion, Frank Fiala said that he thought the storage facility was needed, but only in a commercial zone.
The commission voted to deny the request. Commissioner Niki Smith did not vote on the matter, as she had revealed that she had a conflict of interest.
Residential Structure on a Campground
The Planning Commission also took up a request for a residential structure to be allowed in Sharp Park Campground. Owner Terry VanRhee wanted to live on-site to be able to better manage the campground.
Shea stated that the request complies with the resort and recreation ordinance, as the ordinance allows for one residential unit in a campground.
Commissioners approved the request, with the condition that the unit could not be rented out.
Bylaws Amended
The bylaws that govern the conduct of the Planning Commission were reviewed and amended. One of the items discussed was the protocol for them when there is a conflict of interest.
Commissioner Larry Knowles said he wanted a commissioner who had a conflict of interest to leave the room and not express their opinion on the topic. The conflicted commissioner would be allowed to have a spokesperson do so for them.
Commissioner Ryan Craven disagreed, stating that it was discrimination to force the member from the room. He favored the member being in the audience, but not speaking on the subject. The other commissioners agreed.
Commissioner John Trygier wanted to be able to go into a closed executive session with an engineer to be able to ask questions without the public being present. Craven and Fiala strongly disagreed with the suggestion, stating that whatever questions the commission had for the engineer needed to be discussed in an open meeting. The more open option was adopted.
Bush requested that the rules of conduct be printed on the meeting agendas. The request was added to the bylaws as well.
