A special land use request for a new event center in Laketown Township is on hold as planners seek more information.
The Laketown Township Planning Commission heard an initial presentation March 4 from Ron Schafer, who is requesting the permit for property along Blue Star Highway east of 63rd Street.
Schafer plans to build an approximately 19,000-square-foot event center called Starr Hollow. The business would have capacity for 300 people and host indoor and outdoor events, including weddings, graduations and funerals.
In a staff report, Community Development Director Michelle Sall said more information was needed, including plans for landscaping, water, lighting and buffer screening.
Schafer provided a lighting plan at the meeting, but said the water situation remains in a “holding pattern” while he await information himself.
Officials said they didn’t have enough time to review the late-arriving documents.
“There’s a lot of last-minute information being given to us at this point,” said Vice Chair Jay Cravens. “I don’t think it’s fair for us to be making a decision tonight.”
Ron Bultje, municipal attorney, encouraged the commission to continue with a planned public hearing — then come to a consensus on whether the intended use fits within the zoning district before tabling.
The property is zoned C-3 Highway Commercial District, with allowable uses like schools, community centers, funeral homes, offices, retail establishments and banks, as well as restaurants, hotels and parking lots by special use permit.
Other uses not specifically listed but “similar to those allowed” are also permissible with a special use permit.
Bultje said, if commissioners felt an event center fit under C-3, they could table the matter while gathering additional information. If not, he said, it wouldn’t make sense to proceed at all.
After discussion, Cravens, Patrick Dietrich and Mark Timmerman agreed an event center was similar enough to listed uses to move forward. Commissioner Ray Buursma said he was “torn,” primarily because of potential noise.
“This is definitely within the range of a C-3,” Timmerman said. “I may have my own personal concerns … on noise levels, but strictly talking about C-3, I think it falls within those parameters.”
Four residents spoke during the public hearing, including neighboring property owners, who raised concerns about lighting, noise, traffic and environmental impacts.
“It’s going to be noisy and lit right in the middle of a residential area,” said neighbor Richard Geiger, who requested limited hours, sound barriers and lights directed away from nearby homes, should the permit be approved.
Officials voted 4-0 to table the request. The body next meets April 1.
— Contact reporter Mitchell Boatman at mboatman@hollandsentinel.com.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Starr Hollow event center tabled in Laketown Township. Here’s why
Reporting by Mitchell Boatman, Holland Sentinel / The Holland Sentinel
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