Prospects are looking solid for two new businesses to come to the industrial park in Leighton Township and another to do mineral gravel mining at a Second Street site.
John Hooker, a Leighton Township Board member and the board’s liaison to the Planning Commission said KDS Properties and Velting Contractors plan to locate in the industrial park and Top Grade Aggregates LLC hopes to begin a mineral extraction operation of 25,000 cubic yards at 3819 Second Street and haul the gravel west to its plant in Hudsonville.
Top Grade owner Ross Beltema told the Township Board Thursday evening, “The operation is at an existing pond and all materials will go to the plant we own in Hudsonville.”
The company would operate between 7 a.m. 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 7 a.m. to noon Saturdays.
He acknowledged there is always potential for problems with dust control and damaging the roads when hauling, but said they will be minimal because they plan to travel only 25 miles per hour and much of the operation will be conducted in winter months.
Township Sup
ervisor Steve Deer commented, “I’ve seen the videos and I believe dust will be the biggest issue.”
Township Clerk Mary Lou Nieuwenhuis said, “We just got this tonight. Could this wait another month before we give it final approval?”
The site plan approval request went before the Planning Commission Nov. 2 and it was granted with 19 conditions. Niewenhuis said she wanted more time to read through the conditions.
Hooker told board colleagues, “There is quite a bit of teeth to the conditions and it will be under yearly review.”
It was finally agreed to have Beltema return for the board’s Dec. 8 meeting for final approval.
The application from KDS Properties to establish a warehouse and truck maintenance facility in the Moline Industrial Park went a lot more quickly. Ditto for the construction firm of Velting Contractors, which is coming to Leighton from Kentwood.
The news come on the heels of Deer’s announcement that Leighton continues to grow commercially and residentially, with 34 building permits in the first 10 months of 2016, for a total worth of $8.4 million.
PHOTO: Ross Beltema explains his company’s gravel mining plans on Second Street.
