ALGOMA TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Neighbors are speaking out against a proposed gravel and sand mining operation that would be built on a multi-acre plot along the Rogue River.
A community input meeting is scheduled for Tuesday July 21 at 7:00pm to discuss the proposal.
Several families living near the plot of land at 573 10 Mile Rd, just west of Pine Island Dr, reached out to FOX 17 to voice their opposition to the potential development.
"We're not gonna just sit here and let people just ramrod us into something we don't want," Barbara Ely, a homeowner in the area, told FOX 17.
"This isn't just affecting us."
According to documents filed with the township, the developer is planning to run that gravel and sand mining operation first and then eventually develop the property for residential use.
"It would change the neighborhood... it would change the ecosystem," neighbor Mark Kingshott said Tuesday morning.
“The noise that we're going to have, the extra traffic just down the road on 10 mile. How much more can this tight road in this beautiful area take?”
While the community will have the chance to give their input on the proposal on the 21st, Township Supervisor Kevin Green says they plan to request extensive research before anything moves forward.
"We'll be requiring several things, everything from an environmental impact statement, traffic study, economic study and business plan," Green told FOX 17 Wednesday afternoon.
Green says the proposal must go through public hearings with both the planning commission and the township board.
“Our township just went through the whole PFAS issue where we finally worked that out with Wolverine in a settlement to get clean water. So, you know, so we're extra sensitive to this issue,” Green said.
And despite the limitations presented by the pandemic, Green says the township will make sure that anyone looking to give input will be heard.
Many of the neighbors speaking to FOX 17 are eager for that chance.
Kyle Saair, who also lives in the area, said, “we're kind of just doing what we can right now to figure out who should we inform about this, who can help us to understand what the impacts and consequences could be, and make sure that we're prepared on the 21st with the right facts.”
