Reminder: the page numbers listed are for the most current Clare County Master Plan unless otherwise specified.
Clare County Master Plan Goals and Objectives:
Page 82: Goal #2: Continue to improve the County’s economy and employment opportunities. Objective #3: Continue to target business for location in the County’s Renaissance Zone and Industrial Parks.
Proponents of Michigan MotoMania believe that this facility will improve the County’s and Hayes Township’s economy and employment opportunities. These are not the only considerations, although they appear to be the only ones actually considered by the Hayes Township Planning Commission.
It does not appear that the Planning Commission or the Township Board did anything to encourage Michigan MotoMania to locate in an area appropriately zoned for commercial or industrial enterprises.
Did the Planning Commission encourage Michigan Moto Mania to locate in an area already appropriately zoned for comercial or industrial enterprises? If so, what encouragement, and how did they offer such encouragement?
Page 83: Goal #3: Preserve the County’s rural environment by preserving agriculture, open space and forested areas. Objective#1: Work with farmers and other landowners to identify needs, and to identify available programs to encourage the preservation of desired areas.
How does the clearcutting of 200 acres of land to make way for Motocross, ATV and Snowmobile trails for this for-profit park/club preserve forested areas?
How does bringing the urban noise of multiple ORVs racing and riding through what used to be a hardwood forest preserve the County’s and Hayes Township’s rural environment?
How did the Hayes Township Planning Commission encourage the preservation of the rural environment of the Mostetler Road neighborhood by allowing a Special Exemption Use for parcels 18-007-025-100-10 and 18-007- 0260200-02?
Page 83: Goal 3, Objective #5: Work with Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the US Forest Service to encourage preservation of open space and forested areas.
It appears that minimal interaction with Michigan DNR and none with the US Forest Service happened before the development was approved and underway.
What, if anything did the Hayes Township Planning Commission do to work with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the US Forest Service when they were helping Doug with his site plan?
Is it documented and available for the general public to know about and understand?
Page 84: Goal #5: Protect and improve the County’s environment. Objective #2: Work with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and existing landowners to identify and correct environmental hazards.
How does putting a Motorized vehicle racing and riding facility in the middle of a forested neighborhood improve the County’s environment? If anything, it has a negative impact. The emissions, the noise pollution, the hazmats from potential oil spillage from engines, and refueling from portable gas cans by riders bringing them into the facility causing potential spills are a negative impact on the environment.
What, if any, work was done with the DEQ to address these issues prior to the start of the development?
Is there documantation of such work available to the general public? If so, where?
Calls and inquiries to the DEQ on the part of the concerned landowners are for the purpose of finding out this information, if it exists.
What work was done with the adjacent landowners prior to the development of Michigan Moto Mania, which has the potential to harm the environment?
I can answer this one: None. In fact, every effort seems to have been made to keep the neighboring landowners from finding out about it until it was too late to easily put a stop to it.
Page 84: Goal #5, Objective #5: Identify areas with special positive environmental features that should be protected.
Mostetler Creek is a Wetland area near Michigan Moto Mania Facility. The denuding of the Gamble-longenecker property will cause runoff and potential soil erosion into the Mostetler Creek wetland area. What environmental impact study was done and what measures were put in place to minimize the environmental impact of a Motocross/ORV/Snowmobile racing and riding facility so close to the wetlands of Mostetler Creek prior to approval of and the start of the project’s development?
Page 84: Goal #5: Objective #6: Plan any new development around lakes, rivers, and streams at a level that will limit the impact of development on water quality.
What plan is/was in place to protect the water quality of the wetlands of Mostetler Creek prior to the approval of and the start of development of Michigan Moto Mania?
Pages 85-86: Goal #9: Promote the development and expansion of commercial uses in cities and villages. Objective #4: Work with townships to identify land appropriate for commercial development and limit land available for commercial development outside of cities and villages.
Who at the Clare County Planning Commission did the Hayes Township Planning Commission work with in identifying Mostetler Road as an appropriate place to put a commercial development such as Michigan Moto Mania?
Was the land on Mostetler Road set aside as appropriate land for a business development before Mr. Longenecker even considered entering into a land contract with Ken Gamble for the property on Mostetler Road? Or was this considered to be an appropriate place after Mr. Longenecker entered into a land contract with Mr. Gamble?
How does allowing a commercial development on Mostetler Road limit commercial development outside cities and villages in Clare County?
Page 86: Goal: #11: Promote recreation and tourism in Clare County. Objective #1: Use Tourism and Recreation as both an economic development and a way to preserve the county’s rural attributes.
The Hayes Township Planning Commission plans to use Michigan Moto Mania as an economic development. That does seem to be what is driving the approval of the Special Use on the Gamble-Longenecker property on Mostetler Road.
Does this consideration alone trump the rest of the Goals and Objectives of the Clare County Master Plan? Apparently the Hayes Township Planning Commission believes it does.
What market research was done prior to the approval of the Special Use granted to the Gamble-Longenecker property on May 17, 2010?
What happens when the novelty wears off?
What happens if the Township’s long term economic goal is not realized through this business enterprise?
How does the Hayes Township Planning Commission’s approval of the Special Use of the Gamble-Longenecker property on Mostetler Road preserve the rural attributes of Clare County and most especially the rural attributes of Mostetler Road?
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