Citing citizen feedback from the prior meeting’s public hearing, one Sanilac County Commissioner voted against a resolution approving the brownfield redevelopment plan in Brown City.
When explaining his reasoning at Tuesday’s meeting, District 3 Commissioner Gary Heberling noted that he felt that the approval should only be needed from the city affected by the redevelopment plan, and that the county did not need to be involved. Board chairman and District 1 Commissioner Jon Block noted that, prior to the county board receiving it, the redevelopment plan was approved by Brown City’s council. The resolution was passed 6-1.
The project, a redevelopment of a large housing project in Brown City, is being developed by Maple Valley Estates LLC. The company is proposing the redevelopment of 70 vacant parcels, covering just under 13 acres of property on Maple Valley Road. Of the 70 homes planned to be built, 35 of them will be available for sale, and 35 will be for rent. 11 of the units will also be classified as income restricted housing. Once the brownfield site is prepared, construction is currently slated to start in the summer of 2028.
The July 15th meeting also saw commissioners accepting a recommendation by the county parks board to terminate the contract of Parks and Recreation Director Vincent Micallef, effective July 15. Micallef had been officially hired for the role in May of this year. It is unclear why the parks board recommended his termination, and if it’s related to the recent and sudden resignation of District 2 commissioner Roger Ballard as the park board’s chairman.
