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Burton ZBA approves Tryon/Element expansion allowing taller, closer building for testing
Summary
The zoning board granted a variance allowing a 40-foot building height and a 2-foot rear setback for Element Materials Technology (Trylon) to support battery and fuel-testing operations after the applicant said the changes were needed for safety and after consultation with the fire marshal and county/environmental reviewers.
The Burton Zoning Board of Appeals approved variance ZBA-25-04 allowing Trylon/Element Materials Technology to demolish a north accessory structure and replace it with a taller, nearer building to support product testing, the board said at its meeting.
Mike Pendleton, representing Trylon/Element Materials Technology, told the board the company needs a taller building (40 feet; 5 feet above the code maximum cited in the hearing) to accommodate testing equipment and to allow gases and cooling to clear safely from the structure. He said the company had met with the fire marshal and with planners to design the testing and that the proposed space will be self-contained with air scrubbing and evacuation procedures for battery and fuel-tank testing. "There is risk mitigation that we have to put into place, and that's what we've reviewed with the fire marshal as well as EGLE to make sure that there's no pollutants being thrown out in groundwater or the air," Pendleton said.
City administration recommended approval, noting the rear property borders a Consumers Energy non-buildable easement and that the existing accessory structure appears to have been built without the originally required setback. Administration said it did not foresee a future hardship resulting from a 2-foot rear setback or the 5-foot height increase.
The board discussed safety around nearby high-voltage lines and whether Consumers Energy had been notified; the applicant said Consumers Energy was notified as part of the 300-foot notice but the company had not commented. The clerk took roll call on the motion approving both variance requests together. Votes recorded: Rappas — yes; Smith — yes; Burge — yes; Richvalski — yes; Fuest — yes; Ward Terry — no; Welch — yes. The motion carried.
The board's approval allows the applicant to proceed to building-permit and site-plan steps; the city emphasized that Trylon would still need to meet fire-marshal and environmental controls as part of construction and operations.
(Reporters' note: setback and height requirements are taken from materials presented in the hearing.)
