Planning commission approves Crandall Brothers sand‑and‑gravel expansion with haul‑route, bonding and inspection conditions

The Eaton County Planning Commission on July 8 approved a conditional use permit for Crandall Brothers Trucking to expand a sand‑and‑gravel mining operation onto multiple parcels near 4425 East Spicerville Highway in Brookfield Township, voting to approve the mine with conditions addressing haul routes, road improvements and bonding.

Staff said the application includes multiple parcels totaling about 404.34 acres; the actual area the applicant proposes to mine initially is roughly 160 acres with plans to work an estimated 60 acres first on the parcel that previously held a permitted mine. Under county bonding rules for surface mining (article 14.25), a surety bond of $3,000 plus $2,000 per estimated acre is required. Staff recommended requiring a bond sufficient for 63 acres (the amount proposed for near‑term disturbance), which totals $129,000; staff noted a bond for full simultaneous mining of the entire area would be $323,000.

The Eaton County Road Commission provided extensive conditions in its review: construction of a ditch to avoid trapping roadside water, drive approach upgrades built to heavy‑duty pavement standards with tapers and radii adequate for trucks, removal or filling of an existing PVC crossing in the right‑of‑way, removal or relocation of buried metal structures and poles in the right‑of‑way, and securing and maintaining a haul‑route permit (the road commission specified the permitted haul route — 5 Point Highway to Royston Road to M‑50 — and required surety for road repairs). The road commission also advised soil borings and roadway improvements may be necessary because of poor subgrade soils on segments of the haul route. Staff read email correspondence indicating the applicant agreed to the road commission conditions and haul‑route language.

Staff noted the site contains areas within FEMA flood plain and wetlands, and the applicant told the commission it is working with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) and the Eaton County Drain Commissioner's Office to secure required state and county permits for work in those areas. The Eaton Conservation District asked that approval be subject to verification that the applicant receives required state and federal permits.

Chad Crandall, representing Crandall Brothers Trucking, told the commission the operation will supply aggregates for local infrastructure projects — including a large Eaton Rapids water‑main project — and that trucks for the mine will haul legal loads under class‑B road restrictions. He said the company expects some trucks will exceed 80,000 pounds GVW but that loads will comply with applicable limits for the route. Crandall said leases and access agreements with the relevant property owners are in place.

Public commenters included Mark Sweatman, chair of the Eaton Conservation District, who — speaking as a certified professional geologist — told the commission the district could not take a position without technical data from state permitting (EGLE) and noted EGLE may require hydrogeologic studies. Jessica Feiner, whose family farm adjoins the site, spoke in opposition, raising concerns about potential impacts to private wells, dust, noise and long‑term land use changes. Crandall responded that in a previous dewatering operation adjacent to the company’s existing pit the company replaced one shallow well and said the company would pay to replace any well demonstrably damaged by its operations.

Commission discussion focused on the scope of county authority versus state oversight. Several commissioners said the county should not attempt to mandate compliance with state permit processes that EGLE controls, while noting the planning commission can attach county‑level conditions (bonding, haul route permits, road‑work surety and annual inspections). The planning commission’s approval incorporates Eaton County Road Commission requirements and establishes that staff will meet with the applicant to finalize bonding, an annual inspection schedule and specific compliance steps before issuing the conditional use permit.

Staff outlined additional conditions to be met before active mining begins: final surety and bond posting, executed haul‑route permit and surety for road repair as required by the Road Commission, and verification that the applicant is pursuing any necessary EGLE and Drain Commissioner approvals where the site crosses wetlands or flood‑plain areas. The vote was unanimous in favor of approval; commissioners recorded yes votes from Scott Hanson, Ben Terrell, Lisa Lewitski, Ray Whitaker, Ed Kemp, Tim Catron, Zachary Dillinger and Brian Ross.

Next steps include staff coordination with the applicant, Eaton County Road Commission and other agencies to document haul‑route requirements, finalize bonding and schedule annual inspections mandated by county surface‑mine rules.