MICHIGAN SITE FIGHT: WAL-MART TO PRESENT REVISED PLANS

Wal-Mart to present revised supercenter plans [Detroit News.com]

Township trustees tonight will reconsider a site plan for the proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter at Hall Road and Romeo Plank after asking the company to take another stab at traffic issues, landscaping and other matters.

The Board of Trustees voted Aug. 6 to table the site plan for 30 days to allow Wal-Mart to resolve concerns about the project on nearly 28 acres at the southwest corner of the intersection.

Thomas Kalas, an attorney for the developer, said last week the township has no say in making Wal-Mart pay for road improvements or dictating the hours of operation.

“The (county) road commission has signed off on our plans. They feel it is safe,” Kalas said.

The township “has no discretion to dictate what our hours are, and they have no discretion to make improvements on a road that are not under their jurisdiction. These two items are not negotiable.”

Trustees will consider the revised plan at 6:30 p.m. in their chambers at the Civic Center, 40700 Romeo Plank.

Wal-Mart agreed to limit the height of stored pallets, improve landscaping, limit traffic at the rear of the store and restrict the noise from loudspeakers.

The 176,311-square-foot store will have 800 parking places.

“Everything in the site plan does meet our criteria,” said Township Supervisor Robert Cannon.

“We legally have no right to turn them down.”

The store would be the township’s first Wal-Mart, and the county’s sixth.

Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Tuesday, September 04, 2007

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