By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
Zeeland planning commissioners are facing what the city’s top administrator is calling “a watershed moment” in deciding whether to recommend rezoning of two residential properties on the city’s east side to allow Reckitt/Mead Johnson Nutrition to expand and modernize its century-old infant formula manufacturing facility.
After hearing the pros and cons of the project for two hours and 45 minutes last Thursday, commissioners tabled a decision on whether to recommend the properties at 605 and 633 E. Main Ave. be rezoned from residential to general industrial use.
The Planning Commission will meet at 6 p.m. next Wednesday in the main floor banquet room of the Howard Miller Library and Community Center to consider Reckitt/Mead Johnson’s request to rezone the properties at 605 and 633 E. Main Ave. from residential to general industrial use.
“Make no mistake – this is a major decision for our city that’s facing us, for generations to come,” City Manager Tim Klunder said toward the end of last Thursday’s public hearing. “We’ll look back on this no matter the outcome.”
Reckitt/Mead Johnson is proposing to invest $836 million into modernizing the facility at 725 E. Main Ave. that has been part of the city since 1924. The company has presented a preliminary site plan, calling for construction of about 350,000 square feet of new office and manufacturing space.
“We’ve been asked if rezoning is needed to achieve our modernization goals. The answer is yes,” Mead Johnson legal director Justin Griner said at last Thursday’s public hearing. “If our rezoning request is denied, we will be unable to make these investments in Zeeland, and we’ll be forced to take them elsewhere. We want to be in Zeeland.”
Another standing room-only crowd of more than 200 people packed the Howard Miller center for the hearing.
Comments during the hearing were split roughly down the middle, with supporters saying the rezoning was needed to assure Mead Johnson would remain in Zeeland, and opponents saying the project would negatively impact nearby residential neighborhoods.
Former Zeeland Chamber of Commerce executive director and current Board of Public Works board member Ann Query called Mead Johnson “good partners in providing well-paying jobs” for the community, noting that the average entry wage for a company employee is $63,000 a year. She also noted that the company is BPW’s second-largest water customer and is among the utility’s top five users in terms of electricity.
“If the company is not able to expand in their current location with the addition of frontage on Main Avenue to allow for safer property access, appropriate parking for employees and the addition of new and improved employee and production facilities, we would likely lose Mead Johnson which has been a part of our industrial community for over a century,” Query said, adding that the property may become abandoned and unusable.
Some Mead Johnson employees spoke out in favor of the project as well. Brenda Staat-Tomlinson began working for the company 16 years ago, and two years after that moved into the city.
“This is about honoring what’s been and then stepping into what’s next,” Staat-Tomlinson said. “Zeeland has always been a place where family values and industry work hand-in-hand. This modernization honors that balance. I believe it’s a chance to lean into growth, thoughtfully and intentionally, so that our city continues to thrive, for generations to come.”
However, some residents who live near the plant continue to push back on the Mead Johnson proposal.
Margie Klein and her husband Earl have lived since 1973 in their home at 553 E. Main Ave. – a house she grew up in, as her parents previously purchased the home in 1926. The Kleins were approached last October by Mead Johnson officials about selling their home. To date, they’ve refused to sell.
“Zeeland is not a one-horse town. Zeeland is wealthy with industry,” Klein said. “Fifty-three industries call Zeeland home. Fifty-two of them have never asked the city to rezone two blocks of residential property to industrial, and displacing 10 families – ever.”
The 633 E. Main parcel has been a single-family residence for many years. Mead Johnson & Company acquired the 1.48-acre property on Dec. 30 of last year for $1.5 million, according to county property records.
The 605 E. Main parcel is currently occupied by Cityside Townhouses, two four-unit townhouses that were built in 2016. Mead Johnson purchased the 0.88-acre property May 15 for $2.95 million, according to city records.
One of the Cityside Townhouses residents who would be displaced by the Mead Johnson expansion is Armando Falcon, a single father with a 16-year-old son. He told commissioners of the significant financial burden he faces if he’s forced to move.
“My moving-related expenses alone include truck rental, deposits, utility setup – they’re expected to be between $3,100-$4,000. In addition to that, I’m expecting a monthly rent increase (from what I’m paying now) of $200-$300 extra … That’s without me hiring any moving help. This is just costs that I’d be covering on my own,” Falcon said.
Falcon called on commissioners to tie any Mead Johnson approval to what he termed “fair relocation support for the residents being pushed out to make room for this expansion.”
Sarah Tibbe, who lives on South Division Street, also spoke of the potential loss of the townhomes and the impact on the families there.
“These homes are places where children play and participate in community events, schools and businesses,” said Tibbe, who is part of the Neighborhood First group that has opposed the Mead Johnson project.
“Homes are not just structures. They’re sanctuaries. To rezone is to tell the immediate and adjacent residents that their homes, property values and quality of life are expendable.”
Opponents have challenged the rezoning as being incompatible with the city’s master plan. The 633 E. Main site has been identified in the future land use plan as industrial dating as far back as 2011. While the 605 E. Main property was identified as remaining residential in the 2020 future land use plan, city planning consultant Paul LeBlanc said that both the 2011 and 2020 plans recognize the need for flexibility.
“Both plans acknowledge that there may be situations that are inconsistent with the recommendations of the plan, but because of changing conditions or new opportunities or challenges, a deviation from the plan may be considered,” LeBlanc said.
Hugh Bartels, clerk of the council at Bethel Christian Reformed Church, said he was initially “resentful” of Mead Johnson’s intentions when the company approached the church about selling their property at 515 E. Main Ave., but has come around since after extensive discussions with company officials.
“Yes, it’s discouraging to lose any residential property in Zeeland. I know several of the people who live in those (townhouses) … I’m grateful that Mead Johnson is ready to cut a ribbon for a new plant instead of cutting out to Elizabethtown, Ky.,” Bartels said.
A supermajority of the Bethel membership voted in late May to sell the church property, which includes a playground widely used by the community. Bethel is in talks with Third Christian Reformed Church on a potential merger. Reckitt/Mead Johnson has proposed development of a new playground in partnership with Bethel and the city to replace the current playground, although a location has not been determined.
The rezoning of the two parcels must go through two votes of the Planning Commission to recommend approval, with final approval coming from the City Council.
Zeeland Record
Zeeland planning commissioners are facing what the city’s top administrator is calling “a watershed moment” in deciding whether to recommend rezoning of two residential properties on the city’s east side to allow Reckitt/Mead Johnson Nutrition to expand and modernize its century-old infant formula manufacturing facility.
After hearing the pros and cons of the project for two hours and 45 minutes last Thursday, commissioners tabled a decision on whether to recommend the properties at 605 and 633 E. Main Ave. be rezoned from residential to general industrial use.
The Planning Commission will meet at 6 p.m. next Wednesday in the main floor banquet room of the Howard Miller Library and Community Center to consider Reckitt/Mead Johnson’s request to rezone the properties at 605 and 633 E. Main Ave. from residential to general industrial use.
“Make no mistake – this is a major decision for our city that’s facing us, for generations to come,” City Manager Tim Klunder said toward the end of last Thursday’s public hearing. “We’ll look back on this no matter the outcome.”
Reckitt/Mead Johnson is proposing to invest $836 million into modernizing the facility at 725 E. Main Ave. that has been part of the city since 1924. The company has presented a preliminary site plan, calling for construction of about 350,000 square feet of new office and manufacturing space.
“We’ve been asked if rezoning is needed to achieve our modernization goals. The answer is yes,” Mead Johnson legal director Justin Griner said at last Thursday’s public hearing. “If our rezoning request is denied, we will be unable to make these investments in Zeeland, and we’ll be forced to take them elsewhere. We want to be in Zeeland.”
Another standing room-only crowd of more than 200 people packed the Howard Miller center for the hearing.
Comments during the hearing were split roughly down the middle, with supporters saying the rezoning was needed to assure Mead Johnson would remain in Zeeland, and opponents saying the project would negatively impact nearby residential neighborhoods.
Former Zeeland Chamber of Commerce executive director and current Board of Public Works board member Ann Query called Mead Johnson “good partners in providing well-paying jobs” for the community, noting that the average entry wage for a company employee is $63,000 a year. She also noted that the company is BPW’s second-largest water customer and is among the utility’s top five users in terms of electricity.
“If the company is not able to expand in their current location with the addition of frontage on Main Avenue to allow for safer property access, appropriate parking for employees and the addition of new and improved employee and production facilities, we would likely lose Mead Johnson which has been a part of our industrial community for over a century,” Query said, adding that the property may become abandoned and unusable.
Some Mead Johnson employees spoke out in favor of the project as well. Brenda Staat-Tomlinson began working for the company 16 years ago, and two years after that moved into the city.
“This is about honoring what’s been and then stepping into what’s next,” Staat-Tomlinson said. “Zeeland has always been a place where family values and industry work hand-in-hand. This modernization honors that balance. I believe it’s a chance to lean into growth, thoughtfully and intentionally, so that our city continues to thrive, for generations to come.”
However, some residents who live near the plant continue to push back on the Mead Johnson proposal.
Margie Klein and her husband Earl have lived since 1973 in their home at 553 E. Main Ave. – a house she grew up in, as her parents previously purchased the home in 1926. The Kleins were approached last October by Mead Johnson officials about selling their home. To date, they’ve refused to sell.
“Zeeland is not a one-horse town. Zeeland is wealthy with industry,” Klein said. “Fifty-three industries call Zeeland home. Fifty-two of them have never asked the city to rezone two blocks of residential property to industrial, and displacing 10 families – ever.”
The 633 E. Main parcel has been a single-family residence for many years. Mead Johnson & Company acquired the 1.48-acre property on Dec. 30 of last year for $1.5 million, according to county property records.
The 605 E. Main parcel is currently occupied by Cityside Townhouses, two four-unit townhouses that were built in 2016. Mead Johnson purchased the 0.88-acre property May 15 for $2.95 million, according to city records.
One of the Cityside Townhouses residents who would be displaced by the Mead Johnson expansion is Armando Falcon, a single father with a 16-year-old son. He told commissioners of the significant financial burden he faces if he’s forced to move.
“My moving-related expenses alone include truck rental, deposits, utility setup – they’re expected to be between $3,100-$4,000. In addition to that, I’m expecting a monthly rent increase (from what I’m paying now) of $200-$300 extra … That’s without me hiring any moving help. This is just costs that I’d be covering on my own,” Falcon said.
Falcon called on commissioners to tie any Mead Johnson approval to what he termed “fair relocation support for the residents being pushed out to make room for this expansion.”
Sarah Tibbe, who lives on South Division Street, also spoke of the potential loss of the townhomes and the impact on the families there.
“These homes are places where children play and participate in community events, schools and businesses,” said Tibbe, who is part of the Neighborhood First group that has opposed the Mead Johnson project.
“Homes are not just structures. They’re sanctuaries. To rezone is to tell the immediate and adjacent residents that their homes, property values and quality of life are expendable.”
Opponents have challenged the rezoning as being incompatible with the city’s master plan. The 633 E. Main site has been identified in the future land use plan as industrial dating as far back as 2011. While the 605 E. Main property was identified as remaining residential in the 2020 future land use plan, city planning consultant Paul LeBlanc said that both the 2011 and 2020 plans recognize the need for flexibility.
“Both plans acknowledge that there may be situations that are inconsistent with the recommendations of the plan, but because of changing conditions or new opportunities or challenges, a deviation from the plan may be considered,” LeBlanc said.
Hugh Bartels, clerk of the council at Bethel Christian Reformed Church, said he was initially “resentful” of Mead Johnson’s intentions when the company approached the church about selling their property at 515 E. Main Ave., but has come around since after extensive discussions with company officials.
“Yes, it’s discouraging to lose any residential property in Zeeland. I know several of the people who live in those (townhouses) … I’m grateful that Mead Johnson is ready to cut a ribbon for a new plant instead of cutting out to Elizabethtown, Ky.,” Bartels said.
A supermajority of the Bethel membership voted in late May to sell the church property, which includes a playground widely used by the community. Bethel is in talks with Third Christian Reformed Church on a potential merger. Reckitt/Mead Johnson has proposed development of a new playground in partnership with Bethel and the city to replace the current playground, although a location has not been determined.
The rezoning of the two parcels must go through two votes of the Planning Commission to recommend approval, with final approval coming from the City Council.
––––––––––––––––––––
Subscribe to the Legal News!
https://www.legalnews.com/Home/Subscription
Full access to public notices, articles, columns, archives, statistics, calendar and more
Day Pass Only $4.95!
One-County $80/year
Three-County & Full Pass also available
