Resident asks Planning Commission to allow completion of private road and raises local safety concerns

Samuel Ellerman of Rolland Road used the public‑comment period to ask the Planning Commission to approve completion of a private road he intends to name 'Richard's Way.' Ellerman said he began the process in 2024, met multiple requirements from the Road Commission and Village staff (including upgrading a culvert from an 8‑inch, 15‑foot spec to a 15‑inch, 30‑foot culvert and increasing base depths), and obtained additional surveys and GIS coordinates at staff request. He said the additional work had cost him roughly $35,000 to $40,000 and that he had medical delays (two heart reconstructions) that slowed completion of the final survey.

Ellerman told commissioners that he had followed the instructions provided by staff and the Isabella County Road Commission and invited staff or commissioners to inspect the property. He said he was not seeking to create a subdivision but only to provide a private access road in honor of his father, and asked the commission to accept the outstanding survey and allow him to finish the naming and approval process. Ellerman also said an ordinance banning private roads was adopted after his project was already underway; the minutes record that assertion as his statement rather than a Commission finding.

Later in the public‑comment period Ellerman raised pedestrian safety concerns for River Road between Golf Course Drive and Rolland Road, citing a resident with cerebral palsy who walks the route and asking whether a warning or slowdown sign could be installed. Manager Manley advised that River Road is under the jurisdiction of the Isabella County Road Commission and that any signage requests must be directed to that body.

The commission took no formal action on Ellerman’s private‑road request at the June 9 meeting; no waiver or permitting decision is recorded in the minutes.