Brandon Twp.- Despite environmental concerns raised by several residents at a Zoning Board of Appeals meeting on July 25, Brandon Development-Lockwoood LLC won approval to encroach into a wetland buffer on property for which a 122,000 square-foot retail development is planned.
More than 60 people were in attendance for the meeting, with several speaking out against the request for a variance to fill into the 25-foot wetland buffer area at the 108-acre parcel of property, located off M-15 and south of Brandon High School. The total land impacted is between a third to a quarter of an acre, says ZBA Chairperson Donna Ferrara.
‘I believe the people of Ortonville were attracted to this area because of its natural beauty and its small town atmosphere, not because of the convenience of a fast food restaurant or a nearby strip mall,? said resident Michael Vanden Bossche, addressing the board. ‘To destroy our woodlands and wetlands for the possibility of a few tax dollars would be inexcusable.?