ZEELAND — Three additional rezoning requests from Mead Johnson received a first round of approval from the Zeeland Planning Commission on Sept. 23.
The properties at 515, 549 and 553 E. Main Ave. will again appear before commissioners for secondary approval, then before Zeeland City Council.
If passed, the properties would join approved rezonings at 605 and 633 E. Main Ave. — the first of several greenlights needed for Mead Johnson’s proposed modernization and expansion project.
515 E. Main Ave. is currently zoned Public Facilities District and is home to Bethel Christian Reformed Church. The other two properties are zoned Residential R-2 and R-3. Mead Johnson hopes to change those designations to Industrial I-2.
The properties at 549 and 553 E. Main Ave. hold single-family homes. The latter property, and Bethel Church, weren’t included in a list provided to The Sentinel of six properties purchased for the project in June: 126 N. Fairview, 107 and 109 N. Carlton, 640 E. Washington, and 549, 605 and 633 E. Main Ave.
Commissioner Rebecca Perkins worried about the church property, saying she’d like to see a green space guarantee before issuing approval.
“I personally am struggling a little bit with the church parcel,” Perkins said. “Maybe it does get rezoned, but is there a way to keep … maybe one acre as Public Facilities?”
The parcel is slated to contain a 1,500-square-foot community green space, according to an earlier vision plan from Mead Johnson. The company’s representative, Art Pike, told councilmembers that developers would be “happy” to put the plan in writing.
Perkins motioned for the vote on 515 E. Main Ave. to be tabled until that guarantee is written. The motion failed, with only Perkins and Commissioner Dan Klompmaker voting in support.
Why is Mead Johnson expanding?
Mead Johnson hasn’t pegged the development project as an expansion, but rather a necessity to make the modernization of the company’s current facility possible without disrupting operations and the supply of infant formula.
“Repurposing nearby residential land for commercial use allows us to establish an essential facility to prevent disruption, avoid supply shortages and ensure families across the country continue to receive the formula they depend on,” the company wrote in an initial community presentation.
The new facility would have employee-focused spaces, including a new front office, an employee center, breakrooms, locker rooms, a hot food cafeteria, a mothers’ room and collaborative workspaces. It would also include a new community park on the corner of East Main Avenue and Carlton Street, as well as an upgraded Veldhof Playground, currently located at Bethel.
The project won’t necessarily add jobs.
“(The project) really is to secure the approximate 500 employees that we currently have at Mead Johnson,” Pike previously told The Sentinel. “There are another 100 to 200 contractors on-site on any given day.”
— Cassidey Kavathas is the politics and court reporter at The Holland Sentinel. Contact her at ckavathas@hollandsentinel.com. Follow her on X and Bluesky @cassideykava.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Mead Johnson expansion continues to march forward in Zeeland. Here’s what happens next
Reporting by Cassidey Kavathas, Holland Sentinel / The Holland Sentinel
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