Romulus council postpones Bradford Airport Logistics rezoning after council seeks clearer tax and traffic documentation
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Summary
Romulus council voted unanimously on April 13 to postpone the second reading of conditional rezoning RZ2025-004 (Bradford Airport Logistics) after extended debate about truck staging, traffic impacts near the airport and confusion over tax benefits; the airport CEO urged the council to prioritize safety and pledged to provide more concrete tax figures and written commitments.
The Romulus City Council on April 13 postponed consideration of the conditional rezoning request RZ2025-004 for Bradford Airport Logistics after several hours of presentations and questioning about traffic routing, staging and tax impacts.
Representatives from the Wayne County Airport Authority and Bradford presented the second-reading materials; Marcus Tommy (economic development for the airport authority) and Mike Rossen (Bradford director of business development) described operational plans that rely on timed vendor deliveries and separate inbound and outbound docks to avoid staging on Wayne and Eureka Roads. The applicants argued most deliveries would be scheduled before 8 a.m. to limit congestion.
Chad Dibney, identified in the meeting as CEO of the Wayne County Airport Authority, told council the airport’s priority is moving truck activity away from terminal fronts for security reasons and preparing for anticipated federal screening requirements. “Safety is the most important thing,” he said, and argued that relocating logistics activity away from terminals reduces a target-rich environment at the ticket lobby and terminal.
Councilmembers repeatedly asked for clearer numbers and written commitments. Several members flagged confusion about what tax receipts would actually increase: airport representatives explained the estimate of a rise to roughly $90,000–$100,000 refers primarily to personal property tax and reassessment of equipment, not the same as additional real-estate tax that would be collected if privately owned land were developed. Council members asked for those distinctions to be stated in writing and for Bradford to participate directly in negotiations about local benefits.
After extended debate and requests for more concrete documentation, Councilman Wadsworth moved to postpone the matter for a minimum of 30 days to allow the airport, Bradford and staff to return with detailed written figures and mitigation commitments. The motion, supported by Councilman Bullock, passed unanimously.
What happens next: The airport and Bradford were asked to provide clearer tax-estimate documentation, specifics on truck routing and any possible commitments the airport authority can legally make; council members indicated they expect those items in writing before reconsideration.
