Lansing council rejects rezoning for Delaware Ridge; returns plan to planning commission

The Lansing City Council voted 6-3 on March 6 to decline adoption of Ordinance 11-28, a rezoning request for the 112.8-acre Delaware Ridge parcel. The motion on the floor would have approved the application in accordance with the Planning Commission’s recommendation; it did not receive the supermajority the council’s rules required and therefore failed.

Why it matters: The parcel at issue sits near McIntyre Road and the K‑7 corridor and was the subject of a conceptual development plan that included commercial, multifamily residential and storage uses. Residents and council members debated whether the proposed mix fits Lansing’s comprehensive plan and whether the city can afford the public-service impacts — notably schools, roads, emergency services and long‑term property taxes.

Developer and Planning Commission recommendation

Chad Shimke, who identified himself as the property owner, told the council the applicant’s concept is largely illustrative and that initial work would be limited in scale: “Phase 1 is less than 10 acres. Phase 2 is approximately 23 acres,” Shimke said, and added that future phases would require separate planning, design and permitting reviews. He said the proposals were not affiliated with other local projects and that any later phases would follow standard city processes.

The Planning Commission recommended approval of the R‑4 (multifamily) and B‑3 (regional business) portions of the rezoning but removed the requested I‑2 (heavy industrial) zoning from its recommendation; commissioners voted 3–2 in that recommendation, according to the staff report presented to council.

Public concerns: schools, taxes, traffic, fire risk

Dozens of residents offered comments during an extended public-comment period. Rebecca Mahan, who lives on McIntyre Road, said the area is “very flat with strong winds” and described controlled burns at the nearby transfer station. “I fear that without proper infrastructure, that this is a disaster waiting to happen,” Mahan said.

Several speakers raised concerns about school capacity and property taxes. John Redden cited a 2023 housing study by RPG Planning and told the council the consultant recommended 560 new housing units for the decade; he warned that the aggregate number of proposed projects could far exceed that figure and argued it could require new school construction. Trina Guilford read a letter from Sarah George asserting that “in 0 cases, have property taxes gone down when residential development occurred,” a point underscored by other commenters who said the city’s 2023 housing survey had limited participation.

Residents also cited traffic and infrastructure concerns for McIntyre Road and adjacent intersections, internet reliability in parts of the area and potential impacts on neighborhood character. Paul Cromer criticized a city staff response at a recent Planning Commission meeting, saying a senior resident was told by the city’s director, “I’m not gonna tell you, you can look that up for yourself,” and called that exchange disrespectful.

Council discussion and vote

Council members debated how the rezoning aligns with Lansing’s comprehensive plan and the city’s future land‑use map. City staff and councilors noted that the comprehensive plan is guidance and that some future‑land‑use categories reflect county designations carried over into the city map. Councilors also discussed the tradeoff between attracting commercial/industrial development to broaden the tax base and the near‑term impacts of residential growth on services.

A motion to approve the application in accordance with the Planning Commission’s recommendation was made and seconded. Roll-call votes recorded: Mr. Garvey — yes; Mr. Robinson — yes; Mr. Clemens — yes; Mr. Brungard — yes; Mr. Sednica — no; Mr. Gardner — no; Mayor McNeil — no; Mr. Kirby — yes; Mr. Kawalewski — yes. The motion received six affirmative votes and three negatives and did not meet the supermajority threshold required to adopt the ordinance, so the measure failed. The council left the matter closed for that vote and indicated it will return to the Planning Commission if the applicant chooses to revise or appeal.

What’s next

Because the motion failed, the ordinance will not be adopted. The council said the application can be returned to the Planning Commission for further review or the applicant may submit a revised plan or appeal. Several residents told councilors they had submitted a valid protest petition; council staff and public comments referenced state statutes and recent court decisions on rezoning and the applicability of the city’s comprehensive plan.

Ending: The Delaware Ridge rezoning generated prolonged public comment and a split council decision that stopped the rezoning as proposed; the matter may return to the Planning Commission or be refiled by the applicant for future consideration.