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Neighbors raise water and easement concerns as Eaton County approves Narrow Lake Country Store changes with conditions
Summary
The commission approved Terry Smythe’s change-of-conditions request for Narrow Lake Country Store, adding a larger building and support infrastructure, while attaching limits including a 10-foot perimeter fence, modified restaurant hours and requirements that the drain commissioner and health department sign off before permits issue.
The Eaton County Planning Commission on June 2 approved a change of conditions for the Narrow Lake Country Store at 8587 Narrow Lake Road that allows a larger two-story building to accommodate fire-suppression tanks and added public facilities, but attached several site and operational conditions. Staff emphasized the project cannot obtain a building permit until the Barry-Eaton District Health Department approves the well/septic and the drain commissioner's office signs off on stormwater retention plans.
Neighbors at the public hearing urged stronger protections for adjoining property. Jeanie Anthony, who said she inherited 3009 Luella Lane, told commissioners she is in an active legal dispute over a long-standing easement and that “we already do have a lot of water issues” affecting her property; she said she had a letter from the Charlotte fire chief describing emergency access via the lane. Commissioner Ben Terrell moved approval with conditions including a 10-foot perimeter chain-link fence, a chain-link construction fence before work begins, signage on Luella Lane at the applicant’s expense (with adjacent owners’ permission) and a one-year prohibition on changing conditions once a building permit is issued; the motion was amended to keep the gas-station/convenience-store hours at the current 7AM–2AM (employees leaving by 3AM) while limiting restaurant hours Sunday–Thursday to 7AM–9PM and requiring the restaurant to be closed by 10PM. Staff also told the commission that the applicant’s engineer is still negotiating water retention with the drain commissioner's office and that building permits will be withheld until those technical approvals are complete.
Clarifying details: staff reported the new building footprint would be 40 by 82 feet, the parcel is 0.89 acres, and the applicant proposes 39 parking spaces with at least two EV chargers (staff calculated a 41-space requirement but noted historical parking arrangements around gas pumps). The Charlotte Fire Department and Eaton County Road Commission provided no objections to the site layout, while Brookfield Township recommended hours and a higher fence and flagged stormwater and noise concerns. The commission’s approval is conditioned on compliance with the county’s site-plan requirements and required agency permits; no building permit will be issued until the health department and drain commissioner approve the technical elements.
