By Chris Hagan
Review Staff Writer
The Orion Township planning commission unanimously voted 6-0 to recommend to the township board to deny the conditional rezoning request that would turn two residential properties on Markdale into a parking lot for Skalnek Ford.
During last Wednesday’s meeting, Richard Skalnek, president of Skalnek Ford, and his attorney went before the commission asking to rezone two residential properties to a conditional general business rezoning.
The dealership hoped to level the two houses and its place build a parking lot to hold new Ford vehicles. According to Skalnek, the parking lot would have decorative fence with green-scaping surrounding the lot.
‘They [Ford] demand from dealers to upgrade their facilities and they studied the markets and analyzed what the consumer expectations were as far as shopping and servicing their vehicles,? Skalnek said. ‘We need a larger foot print than what we have now.?
Several residents opposed the rezoning and attended the meeting.
What concerned residents wasn’t just the parking lot but the expected construction and expansion of a new dealership showroom. In a concept rendering presented by Skalnek to the board, their new building appeared to be double in size with large glass panes similar to many contemporary Ford dealerships.
Planning member Joe St. Henry understood that had circumstances been different with the location, there probably wouldn’t be an issue with the rezoning.
‘If this was a rezone on a piece of property that was vacant and didn’t have any suitable, reasonable use, in my mind, that’d be one thing,? St. Henry said. ‘But this is in a neighborhood, it’s been a neighborhood for a long time, it’s zoned residential, there are two homes. I question the argument that this is an appropriate use of this of this property given the long standing history of all three pieces of property.?
Planning member and Township Trustee John Stiemel made it known just how difficult the decision was given what was being asked.
‘Our problem here is we’re weighing two things that we try to push in Orion Township,? he said. ‘One is a business that has been here a very long time that we support and has grown over the years. But then you have to weigh that against a neighborhood and now you’re asking to expand that business into a neighborhood and neighborhoods are what we try to protect.?
Karyn Pennington also agreed and confirmed the opinion of many residents stating that Skalnek Ford is just too large for their current area.
‘It would appear that Skalnek has outgrown their existing location and to grant this might temporarily ease some of the growing pains but I think it creates more problems for the neighborhood and I believe that the neighbors have done a great job researching this issue and putting the time in,? she said.