Jan 13, 2000

Last week, we announced that AAR Properties had opened a new office in Milan Township. The office is located at 15776 Cone Road, east of U.S. 23 and just west of the Ann Arbor Railroad tracks. We are open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and plan on extending our hours as needed.

Since our opening, we have had a steady stream of residents visit our office, both for and against our project. We have received numerous phone calls from citizens asking a variety of questions concerning impacts to the area, including traffic, water, financial benefits, lighting, noise, and environmental issues. One question was asked several times regarding the size of the facility.

The real reason this project has had the figure of 1,000 acres associated with it is because of the real estate to be rezoned. What is not discussed is that more than half of the area approximately 520 acres will remain undeveloped. This includes both existing and newly-created woodlands, wetlands, lakes, open space areas, farmlands, and the massive landscaped buffers surrounding the "developed" land. This dedicated 200-foot-wide landscaped berm and buffer zone will rise 12-15 feet high. Through the Special Use Permit, the township has required us to develop an extremely detailed landscaping program for the project, one the residents of Milan Township will be very proud of. We welcome our neighbors to come and visit our office to view the drawings that were presented to and approved by the township officials as part of our proposal.

The supporters for this rezoning have really stepped forward to discuss their interest in making Milan Township better through economic development and about having the Special Use Permit control over the type of development seeking to locate within the community. Because of the strong interest we are receiving, we would like to take the opportunity each week to provide you and your readers an interesting fact or two about the project, rising from questions asked during the week.

Thank you for your time.

Robert E. Carey
Operations Manager
AAR Properties, L.L.C.

First of all, I’d like to say that, even though I live in Ann Arbor, my entire family lives in Milan Township and I spend a lot of time here.

I’ve heard of a group of individuals who call themselves, "The Milan Area Concerned Citizens."

Unfortunately, their "concern" is not for the majority of the public in Milan Township. It is becoming more and more apparent that they are "concerned" about themselves. This group of individuals are mainly people who live adjacent to the project and are not happy with the prospect of having (the proposed railyard) as a neighbor.

However, their concerns are misplaced in trying to fight this thing out of here. How can they say they are concerned about a project that will bring so much money directly to Milan Township? Any of the following can be verified by simply calling any Milan Township official—this is in writing and not rumor.

The proposed Railroad Distribution Center will:

· Pay all of its taxes in full. It will receive no tax breaks or abatements;

· Pay property taxes equal to or greater than all the other Milan Township properties combined, including more than $700,000 a year for Milan Schools alone;

· Pay an impact fee that will more than double the tax revenues for Milan Township, bringing in an extra $150,000 a year, which can be used for many needed township improvements;

· Create more than 200 new full-time jobs with full benefits and an average salary of more than $30,000 a year;

· Give local residents hiring preference, with continuous on-site training and promotion opportunities;

· Pay up to $700,000 to help Milan Township provide much-needed municipal water service to township residents;

· Be required to meet 62 strict conditions set by the township board to regulate the impact of site operations on air quality, water quality, and limiting noise and site lighting levels;

· Include a state-of-the-art drainage system to improve the overall water quality and water run-off of the entire area;

· Include special lighting to minimize any impact on surrounding property owners;

· Be built on less than half of the site. The balance of the site surrounding the facility will consist of landscaping with natural berms and wetlands. Most of the current woodlands along U.S. 23 will also be retained to help act as a natural sight and sound barrier ; and

· Minimize any traffic impact on local residents by providing more than $5 million in road improvements to the U.S. 23 interchange, construction of a rail overpass, and additional lanes on Cone Road to accommodate the trucks that will be using the Now, looking at these figures, and the fact that the Milan Township officials negotiated long and hard for all of this, how can this group of individuals say they are concerned for the township as a whole? We must all look at what is the best for the largest amount of people and this package that has been negotiated for Milan Township is phenomenal.

Milan Township is one of the poorest townships in the county, if not the poorest. Must the township fail miserably in just maintaining even the simplest things, such as roads and bridges that have been out for years because there isn’t enough money to repair them?

I urge you and anyone you care to discuss this with to call your township official and get the facts.

How can anyone justify turning away and opportunity such as this? I truly don’t understand. Don’t take my word for it. Call the township officials and find out for yourself.

On Tuesday, Feb. 22, Milan Township voters will go to the polls to vote on the rezoning recommended by the Township Planning Commission and approved by the Township Board of Trustees.

I hope you will find the time to learn more about this and vote "yes" to something that will help the entire community.