FLINT, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – In what appears to be an ongoing theme for Michigan, $250 million in taxpayer money has been earmarked for a planned megasite on 1,000 acres near Bishop Airport in Flint.
The specifics regarding what will be housed at the site in Genesee County’s Mundy Township are still murky, but speculation is it’s an ideal spot for another EV battery plant or chip manufacturer. Such sites have already been thrust upon the communities of Big Rapids (Gotion) and Marshall (CATL) despite resident pushback.
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In Mundy Township’s case, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) focused on land acquisition first, while which company will set up shop there runs a distant second.
Jennifer Arrand Stainton is running for Mundy Township Supervisor and is a member of the Facebook group “Swartz Creek/Mundy Township Megasite.” She told Michigan News Source it would be easier to tell us how many people are in favor of the proposed megasite rather than who is against it.
“I have yet to find one person who will welcome the megasite at that location,” Arrand Stainton said.
She said the community is not against development per se. What most are concerned with is possible environmental contamination behind their homes.
“We don’t want a chemical plant or anything hazardous in our backyard,” Arrand Stainton said. “If they want Heinz or Kraft or condos, people are for that. When you talk about something that will use 12 million gallons of water a day, there’s quite a bit of concern.”
The concern is not unfounded. As Michigan News Source previously reported, CCP-backed Gotion is continuing to move forward with its EV battery manufacturing plant near Big Rapids without an environmental study.
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Mundy Township could follow in the footsteps of Green Charter Township, whose board gave approval for Gotion to move forward with their project. Last November, voters ousted five township board members in a recall vote. In Mundy Township, fellow Republicans Leah Davis and Zach Sack are looking to unseat current trustees.
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