Residents urge planning commission to reject truck-stop-style redevelopment proposal for Riverside Golf Club

Two residents addressed the Planning Commission during the public-comment period on Aug. 27 to oppose a proposed redevelopment concept for Riverside Golf Club that they described as a truck stop or petroleum operation.

Ed Thurston, a resident of Golden View Estates, said he and neighbors do not want "another truck stop, especially in that location," citing traffic congestion at the Columbia Avenue/M-66 overpass, noise, and pollution concerns. "I really don't want a concrete jungle a couple blocks from my house," Thurston said, and suggested instead the site could become a gated residential development with bike and hiking paths or an event center using the club's historic building.

Marvin Hicks, who lives at 112 Clubhouse Drive, said the golf course and surrounding views were a primary reason his family moved to Battle Creek and urged more community discussion before any rezoning or sale. Hicks said industrial uses that interrupt the area's natural beauty could prompt him and his family to move away and called for the city to consider resident preferences.

Both speakers asked planners and elected officials to pursue a master-plan-driven approach and to involve local foundations and development groups in shaping the site's future. No formal application regarding Riverside Golf Club appeared on the Planning Commission agenda that evening; these remarks were public comment and not a binding action by the commission.