PLYMOUTH TOWNSHIP, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Plymouth Township’s Board and Planning Commission has halted negotiations with Northville Downs, rejecting the establishment of a horse racing gambling track within the township.

According to a press release about the development from EDRA, Economic Development Responsibility Alliance in Michigan, the sequence of events to shut down the development started with a unanimous board vote on January 23rd to revoke the Planned Unit Development (PUD) agreement with Northville Downs.

Township shuts down the development plan.

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Subsequently, the Planning Commission, on January 29th, unanimously concurred to rescind both the PUD and deny the extension of the associated contract.

On February 6th, the Board formally disapproved the development plan and PUD contract.

Project included lots of money and lots of township land.

The $25 million project, which would have been called Northville Downs of Plymouth Township, was set in motion after the Downs purchased a roughly 125-acre property in Plymouth Township.

The initial plan detailed the development of a harness racetrack in the shape of a half-mile oval. Additionally, it included a grandstand with a footprint of 4,900 square feet, a front patio in front of the grandstand measuring 18,400 square feet, a racing building covering 23,032 square feet, a horse barn spanning 35,475 square feet, and a maintenance building totaling 3,200 square feet.

Township residents have fought the development from the beginning.

For almost a year, residents of Plymouth Township have passionately opposed the introduction of the gambling facility, culminating in the collection of over 1,300 signatures on a grassroots petition urging to “Stop the Racetrack.”

The reason for the breakdown of negotiations between the township and the Northville Downs seems to center around the added cash and incentives that the township wanted but didn’t receive.

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Supervisor Kurt Heise, during the meeting on January 23rd, accused Northville Downs’ owners of engaging in “bad faith” negotiations, citing the breakdown over a community benefit agreement. The board had proposed a $5 million funding allocation for community recreation to mitigate opposition but this offer was declined by Northville Downs. The millions have been reported to include things like soccer fields and cash for the township.

Northville Downs’ attorney accuses township of a shakedown.

Northville Downs’ attorney, Mike Cox, former Michigan attorney general, said the board was making “illegal requests for extra money” in mid-January, calling it an unconstitutional condition that violates the Michigan Zoning Enabling Act and the state constitution.

Cox told the Detroit News that “Northville Downs has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in professional services on designers, architects, and planners to execute its vision – and as importantly, redesign our facility to meet various demands of the Township.”

Cox added, “Even though they’re not entitled to that, we agreed to build soccer fields, we agreed to build pickleball courts, we agreed to build a… mile-long nature walk for the township residents” and added “We were against a shakedown, we were against extortion.”

EDRA reports that residents voiced their discontent with the proposed project during meetings and critiqued the board’s handling of the development for almost a year.

Although residents are happy about their current victory against the racetrack, they haven’t been happy with the board’s initial dealings with Northville Downs and have affirmed their commitment to continued vigilance.

Residents will remain vigilant after township board’s non-transparency issues.

During public comments at a January meeting, resident Mary Ann Adams said the whole experience left her “saddled with pessimism…(about) how this development came to our community, pessimism about our local officials having residents’ best interests top of mind, and pessimism about acting in good faith with residents.”

Another resident, Rena Ban, scolded the board at a meeting saying, “Opposition to the project has continually grown, and has been made known to you in many different ways, including letting you know at almost every meeting for almost a year. The mishandling of the project has broken community trust, and highlighted the very valid concerns about their board and the desire and need to have transparency and accountability…I hope this vote means you have been listening.”

Because of the rejection of the project, Cox has mentioned the exploration of legal options, however no legal action has been initiated yet. Plymouth Township residents remain cautious about the future, citing the case of Meijer suing the township in August for denying a special land use, a legal battle that Meijer ultimately won.

This is one of many development projects that residents oppose in the state.

EDRA points out that the circumstances in Plymouth Township echo challenges faced by other Michigan communities facing extensive developments, particularly huge megasite developments like the Gotion EV Battery Plant (Big Rapids) and the Marshall CATL-Ford Blue Oval megasite.

As developers and local city, county and township boards circumvent the input of local residents to finalize deals for substantial projects, more communities are mobilizing against perceived overreach and learning how to push back against the intrusion into their communities against an nontransparent government apparatus.