BATAVIA TWP. MI — The township planning commission on Monday, June 1, removed the last hurdle for the lease of Branch County’s 162-acre parcel off Bater Road to Michigan State University by granting a special land-use permit for educational purposes.
Commission Chair Rusty Smith clarified that the permit was granted with a specific condition attached.
The one condition requires that if a parking lot is constructed, it must have a locked gate at the road.
Smith explained that in both the first hearing and Monday night, area residents expressed concerns that a lot could attract late-night loitering and unwanted activity.
Smith said the area is not regularly patrolled by the sheriff or passing traffic. Nearby landowners have already had farm equipment vandalized.
The commission decided a locked gate on Bater Road would prevent after-hours access by cars and loitering.
Township Property Assessor Melissa Lane told the township board that once she receives the signed lease, the land will be removed from the 2027 tax rolls.
Under Michigan law, county-owned property is tax-exempt only if it is used primarily for a public purpose.
The Bater Road property, purchased in the 1970s for a potential landfill, was placed on the tax rolls last year after the county was found to be leasing roughly a quarter of it for farming.
After the law changed and the county was no longer required to provide a landfill, the county began leasing a quarter of the land for farming.
New County Administrator Frank Walsh discovered that the county had failed to pay taxes on the land and began looking for solutions.
The county paid more than $30,000 in back taxes for 2024 and 2025.
Some suggested selling the land, but the county used it to bury remains of the 1888 courthouse destroyed by fire on Dec. 5, 1972, raising liability questions.
Additionally, suggestions to turn the land into a park did not seem economically feasible, given that three-quarters of it is scrub forest with some wetlands.
The plan to lease to the MSU Forestry Department proposes a nine-year lease with an optional nine-year extension, allowing time for forest management efforts to yield meaningful research.
Dr. Rich Kobe, chair of MSU’s Department of Forestry, said MSU would manage about 120 acres of forest and 40 acres of tillable land as a hands-on learning site for undergraduate students.
The woodland is unique to MSU in the state and will serve as a site for teaching restoration forestry.
Long-term efforts would focus on improving forest health by removing low-value trees, favoring higher-quality species such as hickory and walnut, and planting trees where natural regeneration is lacking.
Under the agreement, MSU will pay no rent for the land, but, in turn, the county will not have to pay taxes.
The other county property used for commercial purposes is the Branch County Memorial Airport.
Land around the runways is leased for farming.
The airport board decided to continue to lease the land because the cost of maintaining and mowing required by federal rules would exceed the cost of leasing and paying taxes.
Contact Don Reid, dReid@USATodayCo.Com
This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: Batavia Twp. approves MSU forestry lease on Bater Road
Reporting by Don Reid, Coldwater Daily Reporter / Coldwater Daily Reporter
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By Don Reid, Coldwater Daily Reporter | USA TODAY Network
