UPDATE:  From the official meeting minutes, which were posted a month late:

[Ken] Dignan said everyone should understand that any property owner may ask for anything allowed in the zoning ordinance, and when buying property people should consider what is allowed in that zoning district.

The flip side of what Ken is saying is that people buying property in Northfield Township should be able to rely on the existing zoning to preserve the character and value of their property.  Thanks for seeing our side, Ken.

And - brought to our attention by a reader: 

During the April 15th Policy Review & Discussion, Sam Iaquinto asked that the township give commissioners free iPads so they could view electronic documents.  

Long time watchers of Township Board hijinks may remember that a few years ago Sam Iaquinto and Mark Stanalajczo led the Board of Trustees to pass a resolution eliminating all use of electronic gadgetry by board members at public meetings.  This was done largely as an attack on then supervisor Deb Mozurkewich, who occasionally used her cellphone.

Here's an idea, Sam.  iPad Airs are down to $379.  Buy one yourself.  That way, you can do what you want with it.  We certainly wouldn't want you to get in the same hot water you put former Supervisor Mozurkewich in. 

It's hard to forget that you and Mark Stanalajczo publically pilloried Mozurkewich for the heinous crime of sending two private emails on her Township PC.  Remember how you tried to get the State Police crime lab to examine her PC for evidence of a crime?  Do you remember how they laughed off the request?  Do you remember then voting to authorize the expenditure of over $800 to have a specialist IT firm preserve her PC's hard drive as forensic evidence?  Do you remember voting to spend another $400 to have the drive restored for the next supervisor?

Sam, that wasted taxpayer money would have paid for three iPads.

End of Update.......

 

The big news from this meeting is that the Planning Commission kinda-sorta voted to abandon consideration of specific Master Plan amendments (read Biltmore).  Instead, because they're planning on blowing $16-$17,000 on a new Township Survey, they've decided to revisit the entire Master Plan.

Manager Howard Fink announced that in a Wednesday morning 12-9 vote, the WATS Policy Committee has approved MDOT's US-23 improvement plan.  Further approval is now in the hands of SEMCOG. 

What is WATS?  The Washtenaw Area Traffic Study is the most local of the trans-municipal authorities whose approval is necessary to spend federal highway dollars.  Its work product is a Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) linking short term goals to short term funding availability.  They also produce a Long Range Plan, extending to the year 2040.

As Township Manager Fink explained at the March 24th Board Meeting, he sits on the WATS Policy Committee.  The 9 votes against even this most improvisational of road improvements demonstrated the deep disagreement between the various constituencies. 

Ben Freed of the Ann Arbor News/MLive.com reported this:

`U.S. 23 'dynamic shoulder' plan progressing despite stiff opposition

 

"Northfield Township has been the largest supporter of this project, besides MDOT" - Washtenaw County Road Commission managing director Roy Townsend.

 

"When we look at highway expansion projects, we see something called induced demand, which essentially means 'if you build it, they will come'" - Washtenaw County Commissioner Yousef Rabhi.

 

"Representatives from the City of Ann Arbor, Saline, Chelsea and Ypsilanti joined Washtenaw County Commissioner Yousef Rabhi in voting against the project, along with representatives from Ann Arbor Township, Dexter Township, the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority and the Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority."

Click to watch the April 15th Meeting on Livestream

Click to download Meeting Agenda

Click to download Meeting Packet

Click to download Meeting Minutes (when available)