Residents challenge trustee mailers and urge public engagement ahead of zoning referendum

Several residents used the meeting's public-comment period to press the board for clearer public engagement and to rebut trustee communications about an upcoming August zoning referendum.

Scott Vansalcum told the board he will offer a series of rebuttals over several meetings to claims circulated in a trustee email about the new zoning ordinance and referendum. Vansalcum said the email, circulated by three trustees, omitted important context about accessory buildings and private roads, and he urged the township to present both benefits and costs before the vote. He said private-road developments often transfer long-term maintenance and special-assessment costs to homeowners and noted that, in some cases, residents have later paid assessments to convert private roads to public. Vansalcum also raised groundwater concerns, saying rural areas reliant on wells are already coping with PFAS contamination and added density could be problematic there.

Vansalcum said the Grand Rapids Association of Realtors spent over $100,000 to place the referendum on the ballot, characterizing the effort as a financed campaign rather than a grassroots petition. He urged trustees and staff to help inform residents directly.

Resident Josh Jordan suggested the township host a series of open houses where residents could speak with trustees and consultants in person and receive factual information; Jordan said mailed postcards risk being discarded and that in-person events would better allow residents to weigh arguments on both sides.

Board and staff responses noted consultants from McKenna previously hosted similar open houses and an additional schedule of factual meetings is likely; staff also said they spent substantial time responding to a FOIA request tied to the referendum-signature process.