Feb 18, 2000
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Ann Arbor News Voters weighing fate of Milan auto center By AMALIE NASH NEWS STAFF REPORTER MILAN TOWNSHIP - In less than a week, 1,200 township voters will decide the fate of the Midwest's largest proposed auto distribution center. Developers said this week they're confident Tuesday's election will approve their rezoning request; opponents are just as certain the proposal will be squashed. Called the "Milan Intermodal Distribution Center," the project would cover 1,000 acres in the mainly agricultural township of 1,700 residents. Ann Arbor Railroad Properties has optioned a vacant farm field close to US-23 and the rail line to construct a center for bringing cars in by truck and sending them out by train. A total of 450 of the 1,000 acres would be developed. Proponents and opponents have spent the last several months championing their positions. The issue has gained attention much farther than the township boundaries - but only those registered voters will decide the outcome. "There have been a lot of rumors and half-truths floating around since the beginning," said Charles Hall, the development manager for Ann Arbor Railroad Properties. "Emotions have taken precedence over the truth. I think we've been able to dispel those rumors for residents we've talked to. I was pretty nervous a few weeks ago, but we've built momentum and I think most people are in favor now." The Milan Area Concerned Citizens tell a different story. The 50-member group formed shortly after the plans were introduced. Members say it simply isn't the right project for Milan Township. "We didn't start out opposed to the project," said Carol McCrae Hokenson, whose property is 100 feet from the proposed entrance. "We simply wanted more information. And the more we dug into this, the clearer it became that the project and developer were not a positive addition to our community." On any given day, 450 trucks would bring General Motors vehicles to the facility, where they would be stored on an asphalt lot before being loaded onto trains and shipped south. Around six trains would enter each day. Three phases of asphalt area would cover 60 acres. Upon completion, the center could store 45,000 vehicles. Township officials are divided on the issue. The rezoning request squeaked through on a 3-2 vote, and the special-use permit included a list of 62 conditions. The distribution center was introduced to the township more than a year ago. Ann Arbor Railroad Properties received approval to rezone the land to light industrial use in October. Following a successful petition drive for a referendum, the rezoning issue was placed on the ballot. Township officials are divided on the issue. The rezoning request squeaked through on a 3-2 vote, and the special-use permit included a list of 62 conditions that the developer has to meet before the permit is issued. Township Supervisor John Bruckner said this week that he favors the project primarily for the financial benefits it offers. Those include: $5 million in road improvements to the US-23 interchange near Cone Road and an overpass on Cone Road over the rail line; an impact fee beginning at $100,000 the first year and rising to $160,000 within 10 years; up to $700,000 for municipal water service; 200 new full-time jobs; and property taxes for the township and schools. Ann Arbor Railroad Properties has pledged not to request any tax abatements. All of Milan Township now totals $44 million in taxable property value, while this project alone is expected to reach $30 million in taxable value. "We're probably the poorest township in Monroe County," Bruckner said. "We have no money in our general fund for roads or water, and our residents have bad water. We need help. In my personal opinion, this is the best thing the township has had since I became associated with it 25 years ago." Clerk Emily Bowerman disagrees and voted against the rezoning. She said her position hasn't changed. "I feel that in the future we'll end up with something we don't want," Bowerman said. "This will change the entire concept of the township, and I truly feel we can have a nice township based on homes." Milan Area Concerned Citizens members also question the actual financial benefits, saying the township has never conducted a financial analysis of the plan. The group asked the Michigan Land Use Institute to prepare a financial analysis. That document concludes the project provides "virtually no tax benefits to Milan Township," arguing, for example, that residents would absorb most of the cost of the project's water system. But Hall says the analysis erroneously assumes the project will pay taxes as a railroad to the federal government. A separate corporation was formed early in the process to ensure tax revenue benefits the township, he said. Last year, the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments studied the project to assess its regional impact and concluded that it would have little impact outside township boundaries. The citizens group also raises concerns with truck traffic, lighting, construction disruption, safety and whether the impact agreement is even enforceable. But Ann Arbor Railroad Properties officials say that the project is being built such that residents and motorists won't even know it's there unless they come into the entrance off Cone Road. A 13-foot berm is planned around the perimeter with additional trees to block truck noise. "Black sky" lighting minimizes any light off the actual site, said Bob Carey, the manager of the planned facility. If the rezoning is approved, developers hope to receive site-plan approval to break ground in spring and begin operating near the end of the year. Hall said the entire project would be built in 30 months. During the final site plan review process, developers must prove that they've met all 62 conditions laid out in the special use permit. If it's turned down, city officials and residents fear a lawsuit from the developer. Hall said a suit isn't currently planned. Township Treasurer Sharon Jaworski, an outspoken advocate of the project, said she's noticed a change in residents' opinions as they learned more about the proposed auto distribution center. "I was collecting taxes and talking to people and noticed a big change in attitude," Jaworski said. "One lady said she has close friends opposed to it, but she's for it because it would be better than a big housing development." But Hokenson said she knows of no opponents who have been swayed in past months. "I think the community has been divided by this and there needs to be time to heal. Then we could look a re-evaluating the master plan," Hokenson said. "I think there is a solid foundation of people who are quietly confident that this is wrong for us and those people will say no."
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