Bedford Township will appeal judge's subdivision ruling

6/14/2007

Bedford Township is appealing Monroe County Circuit Court Judge Michael W. LaBeau's decision in February to allow what would be the largest subdivision in the township.

Township Supervisor Walt Wilburn said a date has not been set for the appeal but negotiations may continue. "So it is possible that things could be resolved [before the trial] depending on whether there are any more negotiations," he said.

While the appeal could go all the way to the Michigan Supreme Court, Township Clerk Bob Schockman said, "If we win the first level of appeal, I should suspect that would end the process."

Mark Brant and Ron Blank of Bedford Partners LLC would like to build a 450-home subdivision - called Albring Farms - fronting on Erie Road between Lewis Avenue and Crabb Road, just north of Temperance.

The developers sued the township after the board denied their bid in August, 2005, to rezone 80 acres of their roughly 160-acre parcel from agricultural to residential. In February, Judge LaBeau ruled the township's denial of the rezoning request had been arbitrary and capricious.

At the township board's May 15 meeting, it went into closed session and then voted to start legal discussions on whether to appeal Judge LaBeau's decision.

"When no satisfactory conclusion was made, we filed the appeal," Mr. Schockman said.